One hundred years of return period: Strengths and limitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volpi, E.; Fiori, A.; Grimaldi, S.; Lombardo, F.; Koutsoyiannis, D.

2015-10-01

One hundred years from its original definition by Fuller, the probabilistic concept of return period is widely used in hydrology as well as in other disciplines of geosciences to give an indication on critical event rareness. This concept gains its popularity, especially in engineering practice for design and risk assessment, due to its ease of use and understanding; however, return period relies on some basic assumptions that should be satisfied for a correct application of this statistical tool. Indeed, conventional frequency analysis in hydrology is performed by assuming as necessary conditions that extreme events arise from a stationary distribution and are independent of one another. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the properties of return period when the independence condition is omitted; hence, we explore how the different definitions of return period available in literature affect results of frequency analysis for processes correlated in time. We demonstrate that, for stationary processes, the independence condition is not necessary in order to apply the classical equation of return period (i.e., the inverse of exceedance probability). On the other hand, we show that the time-correlation structure of hydrological processes modifies the shape of the distribution function of which the return period represents the first moment. This implies that, in the context of time-dependent processes, the return period might not represent an exhaustive measure of the probability of failure, and that its blind application could lead to misleading results. To overcome this problem, we introduce the concept of Equivalent Return Period, which controls the probability of failure still preserving the virtue of effectively communicating the event rareness.

Discrete-time switching periodic adaptive control for time-varying parameters with unknown periodicity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Miao; Huang, Deqing; Yang, Wanqiu

2018-06-01

In this paper, we address the problem of unknown periodicity for a class of discrete-time nonlinear parametric systems without assuming any growth conditions on the nonlinearities. The unknown periodicity hides in the parametric uncertainties, which is difficult to estimate with existing techniques. By incorporating a logic-based switching mechanism, we identify the period and bound of unknown parameter simultaneously. Lyapunov-based analysis is given to demonstrate that a finite number of switchings can guarantee the asymptotic tracking for the nonlinear parametric systems. The simulation result also shows the efficacy of the proposed switching periodic adaptive control approach.

A time series analysis performed on a 25-year period of kidney transplantation activity in a single center.

PubMed

Santori, G; Fontana, I; Bertocchi, M; Gasloli, G; Valente, U

2010-05-01

Following the example of many Western countries, where a "minimum volume rule" policy has been adopted as a quality parameter for complex surgical procedures, the Italian National Transplant Centre set the minimum number of kidney transplantation procedures/y at 30/center. The number of procedures performed in a single center over a large period may be treated as a time series to evaluate trends, seasonal cycles, and nonsystematic fluctuations. Between January 1, 1983, and December 31, 2007, we performed 1376 procedures in adult or pediatric recipients from living or cadaveric donors. The greatest numbers of cases/y were performed in 1998 (n = 86) followed by 2004 (n = 82), 1996 (n = 75), and 2003 (n = 73). A time series analysis performed using R Statistical Software (Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria), a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics, showed a whole incremental trend after exponential smoothing as well as after seasonal decomposition. However, starting from 2005, we observed a decreased trend in the series. The number of kidney transplants expected to be performed for 2008 by using the Holt-Winters exponential smoothing applied to the period 1983 to 2007 suggested 58 procedures, while in that year there were 52. The time series approach may be helpful to establish a minimum volume/y at a single-center level. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Time trends, improvements and national auditing of rectal cancer management over an 18-year period.

PubMed

Kodeda, K; Johansson, R; Zar, N; Birgisson, H; Dahlberg, M; Skullman, S; Lindmark, G; Glimelius, B; Påhlman, L; Martling, A

2015-09-01

The main aims were to explore time trends in the management and outcome of patients with rectal cancer in a national cohort and to evaluate the possible impact of national auditing on overall outcomes. A secondary aim was to provide population-based data for appraisal of external validity in selected patient series. Data from the Swedish ColoRectal Cancer Registry with virtually complete national coverage were utilized in this cohort study on 29 925 patients with rectal cancer diagnosed between 1995 and 2012. Of eligible patients, nine were excluded. During the study period, overall, relative and disease-free survival increased. Postoperative mortality after 30 and 90 days decreased to 1.7% and 2.9%. The 5-year local recurrence rate dropped to 5.0%. Resection margins improved, as did peri-operative blood loss despite more multivisceral resections being performed. Fewer patients underwent palliative resection and the proportion of non-operated patients increased. The proportions of temporary and permanent stoma formation increased. Preoperative radiotherapy and chemoradiotherapy became more common as did multidisciplinary team conferences. Variability in rectal cancer management between healthcare regions diminished over time when new aspects of patient care were audited. There have been substantial changes over time in the management of patients with rectal cancer, reflected in improved outcome. Much indirect evidence indicates that auditing matters, but without a control group it is not possible to draw firm conclusions regarding the possible impact of a quality control registry on faster shifts in time trends, decreased variability and improvements. Registry data were made available for reference. Colorectal Disease © 2015 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

46 CFR 167.60-5 - Period of time for which valid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... SCHOOL SHIPS Certificates of Inspection § 167.60-5 Period of time for which valid. A certificate of inspection for any period less than one year shall not be issued, but nothing herein shall be construed as preventing the revocation or suspension of a certificate of inspection in case such process is authorized by...

Epidemiology of Achilles tendon ruptures: increasing incidence over a 33-year period.

PubMed

Lantto, I; Heikkinen, J; Flinkkilä, T; Ohtonen, P; Leppilahti, J

2015-02-01

We investigated the epidemiology of total Achilles tendon ruptures and complication rates after operative and nonoperative treatments over a 33-year period in Oulu, Finland. Patients with Achilles tendon ruptures from 1979 to 2011 in Oulu were identified from hospital patient records. Demographic data, treatment method, and complications were collected retrospectively from medical records. Overall and sex- and age-specific incidence rates were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The overall incidence per 100,000 person-years increased from 2.1 (95% CI 0.3-7.7) in 1979 to 21.5 (95% CI 14.6-30.6) in 2011. The incidence increased in all age groups. The mean annual increase in incidence was 2.4% (95% CI 1.3-4.7) higher for non-sports-related ruptures than for sports-related ruptures (P = 0.036). The incidence of sports-related ruptures increased during the second 11-year period whereas the incidence of non-sports-related ruptures increased steadily over the entire study period. Infection was four times more common after operative treatment compared with nonoperative treatment, re-rupture rates were similar. The incidence of Achilles tendon ruptures increased in all age groups over a 33-year period. Increases were mainly due to sports-related injuries in the second 11-year period and non-sports-related injuries in the last 11-year period. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Changes in Manipulative Peak Force Modulation and Time to Peak Thrust among First-Year Chiropractic Students Following a 12-Week Detraining Period.

PubMed

Starmer, David J; Guist, Brett P; Tuff, Taylor R; Warren, Sarah C; Williams, Matthew G R

2016-05-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze differences in peak force modulation and time-to-peak thrust in posterior-to-anterior (PA) high-velocity-low-amplitude (HVLA) manipulations in first-year chiropractic students prior to and following a 12-week detraining period. Chiropractic students (n=125) performed 2 thrusts prior to and following a 12-week detraining period: total peak force targets were 400 and 600 N, on a force-sensing table using a PA hand contact of the participant's choice (bilateral hypothenar, bilateral thenar, or cross bilateral). Force modulation was compared to defined target total peak force values of 600 and 400 N, and time-to-peak thrust was compared between data sets using 2-tailed paired t-tests. Total peak force for the 600 N intensity varied by 124.11 + 65.77 N during the pre-test and 123.29 + 61.43 N during the post-test compared to the defined target of 600 N (P = .90); total peak force for the 400 N intensity varied by 44.91 + 34.67 N during the pre-test and 44.60 + 32.63 N during the post-test compared to the defined target of 400 N (P = .57). Time-to-peak thrust for the 400 N total peak force was 137.094 + 42.47 milliseconds during the pre-test and 125.385 + 37.46 milliseconds during the post-test (P = .0004); time-to-peak thrust for the 600 N total peak force was 136.835 + 40.48 milliseconds during the pre-test and 125.385 + 33.78 milliseconds during the post-test (P = .03). The results indicate no drop-off in the ability to modulate force for either thrust intensity, but did indicate a statistically significant change in time-to-peak thrust for the 400 N total peak force thrust intensity in first-year chiropractic students following a 12-week detraining period. Copyright © 2016 National University of Health Sciences. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Spurious One-Month and One-Year Periods in Visual Observations of Variable Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Percy, J. R.

2015-12-01

Visual observations of variable stars, when time-series analyzed with some algorithms such as DC-DFT in vstar, show spurious periods at or close to one synodic month (29.5306 days), and also at about a year, with an amplitude of typically a few hundredths of a magnitude. The one-year periods have been attributed to the Ceraski effect, which was believed to be a physiological effect of the visual observing process. This paper reports on time-series analysis, using DC-DFT in vstar, of visual observations (and in some cases, V observations) of a large number of stars in the AAVSO International Database, initially to investigate the one-month periods. The results suggest that both the one-month and one-year periods are actually due to aliasing of the stars' very low-frequency variations, though they do not rule out very low-amplitude signals (typically 0.01 to 0.02 magnitude) which may be due to a different process, such as a physiological one. Most or all of these aliasing effects may be avoided by using a different algorithm, which takes explicit account of the window function of the data, and/or by being fully aware of the possible presence of and aliasing by very low-frequency variations.

(abstract) Short Time Period Variations in Jupiter's Synchrotron Radiation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bolton, S. J.; Klein, M. J.; Gulkis, S.; Foster, R.; Heiles, C.; Pater, I. de

1994-01-01

The long term time variability of Jupiter's synchrotron radiation on yearly time scales has been established for some time. For many years, theorists have speculated about the effects variations in the solar wind, solar flux, Io, the Io torus, and Jupiter's magnetic field have on the ultra-relativistic electron population responsible for the emission. Early observational results suggested the additional possibility of a short term time variability, on timescales of days to weeks. In 1989 a program designed to investigate the existence of short term time variability using the 85 foot Hat Creek radio telescope operating at 1400 MHz was initiated. The availability of a dedicated telescope provided the opportunity, for the first time, to obtain numerous observations over the full Jupiter rotation period. These and future observations will enable two important studies, characterization and confirmation of possible short term variations, and the investigation of the stability of Jupiter's synchrotron emission beaming curve. Analysis of Hat Creek observations and early results from the Maryland Point Naval research Laboratory will be presented.

Heating in Integrable Time-Periodic Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishii, Takashi; Kuwahara, Tomotaka; Mori, Takashi; Hatano, Naomichi

2018-06-01

We investigate a heating phenomenon in periodically driven integrable systems that can be mapped to free-fermion models. We find that heating to the high-temperature state, which is a typical scenario in nonintegrable systems, can also appear in integrable time-periodic systems; the amount of energy absorption rises drastically near a frequency threshold where the Floquet-Magnus expansion diverges. As the driving period increases, we also observe that the effective temperatures of the generalized Gibbs ensemble for conserved quantities go to infinity. By the use of the scaling analysis, we reveal that, in the limit of infinite system size and driving period, the steady state after a long time is equivalent to the infinite-temperature state. We obtain the asymptotic behavior L-1 and T-2 as to how the steady state approaches the infinite-temperature state as the system size L and the driving period T increase.

NATIONAL EVALUATION OF THE WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM DURING THE ARRA PERIOD: PROGRAM YEARS 2009-2011

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tonn, Bruce Edward; Rose, Erin M; Schmoyer, Richard L

This report describes the third major evaluation of the Program, encompassing program years 2009 to 2011. In this report, this period of time is referred to as the ARRA Period. This is a special period of time for the Program because the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 has allocated $5 billion of funding for the Program. In normal program years, WAP s annual appropriation is in the range of $200-250 million, supporting the weatherization of approximately 100,000 homes. With the addition of ARRA funding during these program years, the expectation is that weatherization activity will exceed 300,000more » homes per year. In addition to saving energy and reducing low-income energy bills, expanded WAP funding is expected to stimulate the economy by providing new jobs in the weatherization field and allowing low-income households to spend more money on goods and services by spending less on energy.« less

Time trend in the impact of heat waves on daily mortality in Spain for a period of over thirty years (1983-2013).

PubMed

Díaz, J; Carmona, R; Mirón, I J; Luna, M Y; Linares, C

2018-07-01

Many of the studies that analyze the future impact of climate change on mortality assume that the temperature that constitutes a heat wave will not change over time. This is unlikely, however, given the process of adapting to heat changes, prevention plans, and improvements in social and health infrastructure. The objective of this study is to analyze whether, during the 1983-2013 period, there has been a temporal change in the maximum daily temperatures that constitute a heat wave (T threshold ) in Spain, and to investigate whether there has been variation in the attributable risk (AR) associated with mortality due to high temperatures in this period. This study uses daily mortality data for natural causes except accidents CIEX: A00-R99 in municipalities of over 10,000 inhabitants in 10 Spanish provinces and maximum temperature data from observatories located in province capitals. The time series is divided into three periods: 1983-1992, 1993-2003 and 2004-2013. For each period and each province, the value of T threshold was calculated using scatter-plot diagram of the daily mortality pre-whitened series. For each period and each province capitals, it has been calculated the number of heat waves and quantifying the impact on mortality through generalized linear model (GLM) methodology with the Poisson regression link. These models permits obtained the relative risks (RR) and attributable risks (AR). Via a meta-analysis, using the Global RR and AR were calculated the heat impact for the total of the 10 provinces. The results show that in the first two periods RR remained constant RR: 1.14 (CI95%: 1.09 1.19) and RR: 1.14 (CI95%: 1.10 1.18), while the third period shows a sharp decrease with respect to the prior two periods RR: 1.01 (CI95%: 1.00 1.01); the difference is statistically significant. In Spain there has been a sharp decrease in mortality attributable to heat over the past 10 years. The observed variation in RR puts into question the results of numerous

Long-term variation analysis of a tropical river's annual streamflow regime over a 50-year period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seyam, Mohammed; Othman, Faridah

2015-07-01

Studying the long-term changes of streamflow is an important tool for enhancing water resource and river system planning, design, and management. The aim of this work is to identify the long-term variations in annual streamflow regime over a 50-year period from 1961 to 2010 in the Selangor River, which is one of the main tropical rivers in Malaysia. Initially, the data underwent preliminary independence, normality, and homogeneity testing using the Pearson correlation coefficient and Shapiro-Wilk and Pettitt's tests, respectively. The work includes a study and analysis of the changes through nine variables describing the annual streamflow and variations in the yearly duration of high and low streamflows. The analyses were conducted via two time scales: yearly and sub-periodic. The sub-periods were obtained by segmenting the 50 years into seven sub-periods by two techniques, namely the change-point test and direct method. Even though analysis revealed nearly negligible changes in mean annual flow over the study period, the maximum annual flow generally increased while the minimum annual flow significantly decreased with respect to time. It was also observed that the variables describing the dispersion in streamflow continually increased with respect to time. An obvious increase was detected in the yearly duration of danger level of streamflow, a slight increase was noted in the yearly duration of warning and alert levels, and a slight decrease in the yearly duration of low streamflow was found. The perceived changes validate the existence of long-term changes in annual streamflow regime, which increase the probability of floods and droughts occurring in future. In light of the results, attention should be drawn to developing water resource management and flood protection plans in order to avert the harmful effects potentially resulting from the expected changes in annual streamflow regime.

How Sensitively Timed Are Sensitive Periods?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zener, Rita Schaefer

2003-01-01

Reviews Maria Montessori's view of sensitive periods and examines the kinds of help needed from adults: an open mind, specific help from a prepared learning environment, and challenges presented at the right time. Stresses the universality of sensitive periods and their connection to brain development. Focuses on the unconscious nature and…

15 CFR 904.4 - Computation of time periods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE GENERAL REGULATIONS CIVIL PROCEDURES General § 904.4 Computation of time periods. For a NOVA, NOPS or NIDP, the 30 day response period... business day. This method of computing time periods also applies to any act, such as paying a civil penalty...

15 CFR 904.4 - Computation of time periods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE GENERAL REGULATIONS CIVIL PROCEDURES General § 904.4 Computation of time periods. For a NOVA, NOPS or NIDP, the 30 day response period... business day. This method of computing time periods also applies to any act, such as paying a civil penalty...

43 CFR 45.3 - How are time periods computed?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false How are time periods computed? 45.3... IN FERC HYDROPOWER LICENSES General Provisions § 45.3 How are time periods computed? (a) General. Time periods are computed as follows: (1) The day of the act or event from which the period begins to...

19 CFR 158.21a - Time period.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Time period. 158.21a Section 158.21a Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... While in Customs Custody § 158.21a Time period. An abatement or refund of duties shall be made in the...

19 CFR 158.21a - Time period.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Time period. 158.21a Section 158.21a Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... While in Customs Custody § 158.21a Time period. An abatement or refund of duties shall be made in the...

19 CFR 158.21a - Time period.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Time period. 158.21a Section 158.21a Customs Duties U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY... While in Customs Custody § 158.21a Time period. An abatement or refund of duties shall be made in the...

Periodicity and eclipse minima timing of CM Draconis.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vázquez-Martín, S.; Deeg, H. J.; Dreizler, S.; von Essen, C.; Kozhevnikov, V. P.

2015-05-01

Periodic deviations from a linear ephemeris of a binary star's eclipses can indicate the presence of a third body in orbit around both. Hints for such companion around the M4.5/M4.5 binary CMDra were published by Deeg et al. (2008). The assignment of a planet in the CMDra system can however only be accepted if the earlier observed periodicity trends can be verified through further observations over several years. For eclipsing binary stars of low mass, the method of eclipse minimum timing allows one to set mass limits for the detection of a third body. Deeg et al. (2008) concluded that the two possibilities for the source of CMDra's timing variations that remain valid are a planet of a few Jupiter masses on a two decade-long orbit, or an object on a century-to-millenium long orbit with masses 1.5M_J < M_{p} < 0.1M_{⊙}. However, they concluded that it is necessary to do continued observations of the timing of CMDra's eclipses to be decisive regarding the continued viability of the sinusoidal-fit-model, and hence, about the validity of a Jovian-type planet in a circumbinary orbiting around the system. Here we update the analysis of Deeg et al. (2008), including further data presented in Morales et al. (2009r) and new observations taken at Ural Observatory (2008-2013). Eclipse minimum times were obtained using the Kwee-van-Woerden method.

A Survey of Phase Space Density Radial Distribution of Relativistic Electrons During a 2-year Time Period (2001-2002)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y.; Reeves, G.; Friedel, R. H.

2005-12-01

The source of relativistic electrons in the Earth's radiation belts in recovery phase of geomagnetic storms is still an open question which requires more observational analysis. To address this question, we first need to differentiate between two competing mechanisms, inward radial transport or in-situ energization. Recent work has focused on analysis of phase space density distribution for specific storms of interest. Here we expand on the results of earlier event studies by surveying the phase space density radial distribution and its temporal evolution during storms for a time period of 2 years (2001-2002). Data in this work are from the IES and HIST electron detectors on board POLAR, whose orbit crosses the outer part of outer radiation belt through equatorial plane almost every 18 hours during this period. The fact that detected electrons with given 1st and 2nd adiabatic invariants can cover L*~6-10, allows tracing the temporally evolving radial gradient which can help in determining the source of new electrons. Initial analysis of approximately 190 days suggests that the energization of relativistic electrons may result from a more complicated combination of radial transport and in-situ acceleration than is usually assumed.

QUASI-PERIODICITIES AT YEAR-LIKE TIMESCALES IN BLAZARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sandrinelli, A.; Treves, A.; Covino, S.

2016-03-15

We searched for quasi-periodicities on year-like timescales in the light curves of six blazars in the optical—near-infrared bands and we made a comparison with the high energy emission. We obtained optical/NIR light curves from Rapid Eye Mounting photometry plus archival Small and Moderate Aperture Research Telescope System data and we accessed the Fermi light curves for the γ-ray data. The periodograms often show strong peaks in the optical and γ-ray bands, which in some cases may be inter-related. The significance of the revealed peaks is then discussed, taking into account that the noise is frequency dependent. Quasi-periodicities on a year-likemore » timescale appear to occur often in blazars. No straightforward model describing these possible periodicities is yet available, but some plausible interpretations for the physical mechanisms causing periodic variabilities of these sources are examined.« less

7 CFR 1.603 - How are time periods computed?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false How are time periods computed? 1.603 Section 1.603 Agriculture Office of the Secretary of Agriculture ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATIONS Conditions in FERC Hydropower Licenses General Provisions § 1.603 How are time periods computed? (a) General. Time periods are computed...

50 CFR 221.3 - How are time periods computed?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false How are time periods computed? 221.3 Section 221.3 Wildlife and Fisheries NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC... Provisions § 221.3 How are time periods computed? (a) General. Time periods are computed as follows: (1) The...

47 CFR 22.947 - Five year build-out period.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... MOBILE SERVICES Cellular Radiotelephone Service § 22.947 Five year build-out period. Except for systems...-out period, the licensee of the first cellular system on each channel block in each market may enter...-out period begins on the date the initial authorization for the first cellular system is granted, and...

Arm anthropometry indices in Turkish children and adolescents: changes over a three-year period.

PubMed

Çiçek, Betül; Öztürk, Ahmet; Mazıcıoğlu, Mustafa Mümtaz; Kurtoğlu, Selim

2014-12-01

Time-related changes and comparisons for mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC), triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), arm fat area (AFA) are lacking for Turkish children and adolescents. To determine the arm anthropometry indices (MUAC, TSF, AFA) in children and adolescents and to also assess the changes in these indices over a 3-year time period. The data of the Anthropometry of Turkish Children Aged 0-6 Years (ATCA-06) study and the Second Study of Determination of the Anthropometric Measurements of Turkish Children and Adolescents (DAMTCA-II) were used to calculate the arm anthropometry percentiles in a total group of 6982 children and adolescents aged 28 days to 17 years. The 3rd-97th percentiles were computed by the LMS method. In girls, 50th percentile MUAC values linearly increased with age. In boys, 50th percentile TSF values linearly increased until 10 years of age and decreased after age 11 years, while in girls, TSF values increased linearly with age. 50th percentile values for AFA showed a linear increase in both genders with age. Significant differences were found between the 5th, 50th and 95th percentile values for MUAC and AFA obtained in the two studies (DAMTCA-II and DAMTCA-I) in both boys and girls. The prominent finding was the significant and alarming increase in arm anthropometry indices in both genders within as short period of time as three years.

36 CFR 218.10 - Objection time periods and process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Objection time periods and... Objection time periods and process. (a) Time to file an objection. Written objections, including any... of objectors to ensure that their objection is received in a timely manner. (b) Computation of time...

[TRENDS OF PERMANENT PACEMAKER IMPLANTATION IN A SINGLE CENTER OVER A 20-YEAR PERIOD].

PubMed

Antonelli, Dante; Ilan, Limor Bushar; Freedberg, Nahum A; Feldman, Alexander; Turgeman, Yoav

2015-05-01

To review the changes in permanent pacemaker implantation indications, pacing modes and patients' demographics over a 20-year period. We retrospectively retrieved data on patients who underwent first implantation of the pacemaker between 1-1-1991 and 31-12-2010. One thousand and nine (1,009) patients underwent a first pacemaker implantation during that period; 535 were men (53%), their mean age was 74.6±19.5 years; the highest rate of implanted pacemaker was in patients ranging in age from 70-79 years, however there was an increasing number of patients aged over 80 years. The median survival time after initial pacemaker implantation was 8 years. Syncope was the most common symptom (62.5%) and atrioventricular block was the most common electrocardiographic indication (56.4%) leading to pacemaker implantation. There was increased utilization of dual chamber and rate responsive pacemakers over the years. There was no difference regarding mode selection between genders. Pacemaker implantation rates have increased over a 20-year period. Dual chamber replaced most of the single ventricular chamber pacemaker and rate responsive pacemakers became the norm. The data of a small volume center are similar to those reported in pacemaker surveys of high volume pacemaker implantation centers. They confirm adherence to the published guidelines for pacing.

Content analysis of 150 years of British periodicals.

PubMed

Lansdall-Welfare, Thomas; Sudhahar, Saatviga; Thompson, James; Lewis, Justin; Cristianini, Nello

2017-01-24

Previous studies have shown that it is possible to detect macroscopic patterns of cultural change over periods of centuries by analyzing large textual time series, specifically digitized books. This method promises to empower scholars with a quantitative and data-driven tool to study culture and society, but its power has been limited by the use of data from books and simple analytics based essentially on word counts. This study addresses these problems by assembling a vast corpus of regional newspapers from the United Kingdom, incorporating very fine-grained geographical and temporal information that is not available for books. The corpus spans 150 years and is formed by millions of articles, representing 14% of all British regional outlets of the period. Simple content analysis of this corpus allowed us to detect specific events, like wars, epidemics, coronations, or conclaves, with high accuracy, whereas the use of more refined techniques from artificial intelligence enabled us to move beyond counting words by detecting references to named entities. These techniques allowed us to observe both a systematic underrepresentation and a steady increase of women in the news during the 20th century and the change of geographic focus for various concepts. We also estimate the dates when electricity overtook steam and trains overtook horses as a means of transportation, both around the year 1900, along with observing other cultural transitions. We believe that these data-driven approaches can complement the traditional method of close reading in detecting trends of continuity and change in historical corpora.

Content analysis of 150 years of British periodicals

PubMed Central

Lansdall-Welfare, Thomas; Sudhahar, Saatviga; Thompson, James; Lewis, Justin; Cristianini, Nello

2017-01-01

Previous studies have shown that it is possible to detect macroscopic patterns of cultural change over periods of centuries by analyzing large textual time series, specifically digitized books. This method promises to empower scholars with a quantitative and data-driven tool to study culture and society, but its power has been limited by the use of data from books and simple analytics based essentially on word counts. This study addresses these problems by assembling a vast corpus of regional newspapers from the United Kingdom, incorporating very fine-grained geographical and temporal information that is not available for books. The corpus spans 150 years and is formed by millions of articles, representing 14% of all British regional outlets of the period. Simple content analysis of this corpus allowed us to detect specific events, like wars, epidemics, coronations, or conclaves, with high accuracy, whereas the use of more refined techniques from artificial intelligence enabled us to move beyond counting words by detecting references to named entities. These techniques allowed us to observe both a systematic underrepresentation and a steady increase of women in the news during the 20th century and the change of geographic focus for various concepts. We also estimate the dates when electricity overtook steam and trains overtook horses as a means of transportation, both around the year 1900, along with observing other cultural transitions. We believe that these data-driven approaches can complement the traditional method of close reading in detecting trends of continuity and change in historical corpora. PMID:28069962

Global exponential periodicity and stability of discrete-time complex-valued recurrent neural networks with time-delays.

PubMed

Hu, Jin; Wang, Jun

2015-06-01

In recent years, complex-valued recurrent neural networks have been developed and analysed in-depth in view of that they have good modelling performance for some applications involving complex-valued elements. In implementing continuous-time dynamical systems for simulation or computational purposes, it is quite necessary to utilize a discrete-time model which is an analogue of the continuous-time system. In this paper, we analyse a discrete-time complex-valued recurrent neural network model and obtain the sufficient conditions on its global exponential periodicity and exponential stability. Simulation results of several numerical examples are delineated to illustrate the theoretical results and an application on associative memory is also given. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fourth-grade children's dietary recall accuracy is influenced by retention interval (target period and interview time).

PubMed

Baxter, Suzanne Domel; Hardin, James W; Guinn, Caroline H; Royer, Julie A; Mackelprang, Alyssa J; Smith, Albert F

2009-05-01

For a 24-hour dietary recall, two possible target periods are the prior 24 hours (24 hours immediately preceding the interview time) and previous day (midnight to midnight of the day before the interview), and three possible interview times are morning, afternoon, and evening. Target period and interview time determine the retention interval (elapsed time between to-be-reported meals and the interview), which, along with intervening meals, can influence reporting accuracy. The effects of target period and interview time on children's accuracy for reporting school meals during 24-hour dietary recalls were investigated. DESIGN AND SUBJECTS/SETTING: During the 2004-2005, 2005-2006, and 2006-2007 school years in Columbia, SC, each of 374 randomly selected fourth-grade children (96% African American) was observed eating two consecutive school meals (breakfast and lunch) and interviewed to obtain a 24-hour dietary recall using one of six conditions defined by crossing two target periods with three interview times. Each condition had 62 or 64 children (half boys). Accuracy for reporting school meals was quantified by calculating rates for omissions (food items observed eaten but unreported) and intrusions (food items reported eaten but unobserved); a measure of total inaccuracy combined errors for reporting food items and amounts. For each accuracy measure, analysis of variance was conducted with target period, interview time, their interaction, sex, interviewer, and school year in the model. There was a target-period effect and a target-period by interview-time interaction on omission rates, intrusion rates, and total inaccuracy (six P values <0.004). For prior-24-hour recalls compared to previous-day recalls, and for prior-24-hour recalls in the afternoon and evening compared to previous-day recalls in the afternoon and evening, omission rates were better by one third, intrusion rates were better by one half, and total inaccuracy was better by one third. To enhance

36 CFR 218.10 - Objection time periods and process.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... calendar day (11:59 p.m. in the time zone of the receiving office) for objections filed by electronic means... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Objection time periods and... Objection time periods and process. (a) Time to file an objection. Written objections, including any...

Student Instruction Should Be Distributed over Long Time Periods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rohrer, Doug

2015-01-01

In many academic courses, students encounter a particular fact or concept many times over a period of a few weeks and then do not see it again during the remainder of the course. Are these brief instructional periods sufficient, or should the same amount of instruction be distributed over longer periods of time? This question was the focus of…

Logic Model Checking of Time-Periodic Real-Time Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Florian, Mihai; Gamble, Ed; Holzmann, Gerard

2012-01-01

In this paper we report on the work we performed to extend the logic model checker SPIN with built-in support for the verification of periodic, real-time embedded software systems, as commonly used in aircraft, automobiles, and spacecraft. We first extended the SPIN verification algorithms to model priority based scheduling policies. Next, we added a library to support the modeling of periodic tasks. This library was used in a recent application of the SPIN model checker to verify the engine control software of an automobile, to study the feasibility of software triggers for unintended acceleration events.

Period, Place and Mental Space: Using Historical Scholarship to Develop Year 7 Pupils' Sense of Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Dan

2014-01-01

What is a sense of period? And how can pupils' sense of period be developed? Questions such as these have troubled history teachers for many years, often revolving around debates over the role played by empathy and imagination in coming to know a period on its own terms. Rather than adopt a comparative approach, Dan Smiths decided in his teaching…

Binge Eating Behavior and Weight Loss Maintenance over a 2-Year Period

PubMed Central

Pacanowski, Carly R.; Senso, Meghan M.; Crain, A. Lauren; Sherwood, Nancy E.

2014-01-01

Objective. To investigate the relationship between binge eating behavior and weight loss maintenance over a two-year period in adults. Design. Secondary data analysis using the Keep It Off study, a randomized trial evaluating an intervention to promote weight loss maintenance. Participants. 419 men and women (ages: 20 to 70 y; BMI: 20–44 kg/m2) who had intentionally lost ≥10% of their weight during the previous year. Measurements. Body weight was measured and binge eating behavior over the past 6 months was reported at baseline, 12 months and 24 months. Height was measured at baseline. Results. Prevalence of binge eating at baseline was 19.4% (n = 76). Prevalence of binge eating at any time point was 30.1% (n = 126). Although rate of weight regain did not differ significantly between those who did or did not report binge eating at baseline, binge eating behavior across the study period (additive value of presence or absence at each time point) was significantly associated with different rates of weight regain. Conclusion. Tailoring weight loss maintenance interventions to address binge eating behavior is warranted given the prevalence and the different rates of weight regain experienced by those reporting this behavior. PMID:24891946

Windsurfing vs kitesurfing: Injuries at the North Sea over a 2-year period.

PubMed

van Bergen, Christiaan J A; Commandeur, Joris P; Weber, Rik I K; Haverkamp, Daniel; Breederveld, Roelf S

2016-12-18

To analyze all windsurfing and kitesurfing (kiteboarding) injuries presented at our coastal hospital over a 2-year period. Twenty-five windsurfers (21 male; aged 31 ± 8 years) and 32 kitesurfers (23 male; aged 29 ± 11 years) presented at our hospital during the 2-year study period. Various injury data were recorded, including transport to hospital and treatment. After a median follow-up of 16 mo (range, 7-33 mo), 18 windsurfers (72%) and 26 kitesurfers (81%) completed questionnaires on the trauma mechanisms, the use of protective gear, time spent on windsurfing or kitesurfing, time to return to sports, additional injuries, and chronic disability. Most patients sustained minor injuries but severe injuries also occurred, including vertebral and tibial plateau fractures. The lower extremities were affected the most, followed by the head and cervical spine, the upper extremities, and the trunk. The injury rates were 5.2 per 1000 h of windsurfing and 7.0 per 1000 h of kitesurfing ( P = 0.005). The injury severity was the same between groups ( P = 1.0). Less than 30% of the study population used protective gear. Kitesurfers had a higher number of injuries, and required transport by ambulance, inpatient hospital stay and operative treatment more often than windsurfers, but these differences were not statistically significant ( P > 0.05). The median time to return to windsurfing and kitesurfing was 5 and 4 wk, respectively ( P = 0.79). Approximately one-third of the patients in each group experienced chronic symptoms. Kitesurfing results in a significantly higher injury rate than windsurfing in the same environmental conditions but the severity of the injuries does not differ.

Age-specific characterization of spinal cord injuries over a 19-year period at a Japanese rehabilitation center.

PubMed

Toda, Mitsunori; Nakatani, Eiji; Omae, Kaoru; Fukushima, Masanori; Chin, Takaaki

2018-01-01

Regional demographics of spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are fundamental to identifying and implementing appropriate preventive measures. The current study was conducted as a longitudinal analysis of all patients with SCIs admitted to the Hyogo Rehabilitation Center over a 19-year period. The sex and age of the patient, time and nature of injury (i.e., cause, level, and extent), and period from injury to admission were evaluated retrospectively. Pertinent tests, including Poisson regression analysis, and the Cochran-Armitage, Kruskal-Wallis, and chi-square tests, were applied to assess demographic variables, with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Between 1995 and 2013, a total of 632 patients with SCIs (predominantly male and largely < 60 years old) were admitted to our center for rehabilitation. Although the male: female ratio remained unchanged throughout the study period, the ratio of older adults increased over time. In assessing the cause of injury, the majority of the patients involved in road traffic accidents were aged ≤ 44 years, whereas patients aged ≥ 45 years accounted for the majority of low-distance falls and disease-related SCIs, the proportions of which gradually increased. Complete paralysis and paraplegia primarily occurred in patients aged ≤ 44 years, whereas the majority of incomplete injuries and tetraplegia were limited to those aged ≥ 45 years. The patient age at the time of SCI and the nature of the injury sustained were interrelated. Age-specific strategies thus offered the best means of preventing/reducing the incidence of SCIs in Hyogo prefecture.

Detection of Quasi-Periodic Pulsations in Solar EUV Time Series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dominique, M.; Zhukov, A. N.; Dolla, L.; Inglis, A.; Lapenta, G.

2018-04-01

Quasi-periodic pulsations (QPPs) are intrinsically connected to the mechanism of solar flares. They are regularly observed in the impulsive phase of flares since the 1970s. In the past years, the studies of QPPs regained interest with the advent of a new generation of soft X-ray/extreme ultraviolet radiometers that pave the way for statistical surveys. Since the amplitude of QPPs in these wavelengths is rather small, detecting them implies that the overall trend of the time series needs to be removed before applying any Fourier or wavelet transform. This detrending process is known to produce artificial detection of periods that must then be distinguished from real ones. In this paper, we propose a set of criteria to help identify real periods and discard artifacts. We apply these criteria to data taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE)/ESP onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Large Yield Radiometer (LYRA) onboard the PRoject for On-Board Autonomy 2 (PROBA2) to search for QPPs in flares stronger than M5.0 that occurred during Solar Cycle 24.

Causes of graft failure in simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplantation by various time periods.

PubMed

Wakil, Kayo; Sugawara, Yasuhiko; Kokudo, Norihiro; Kadowaki, Takashi

2013-01-01

Data collected by the United Network for Organ Sharing from all approved United States transplant programs was analyzed. The data included 26,572 adult diabetic patients who received a primary pancreas transplant between January 1987 and December 2012. Simultaneous pancreas-kidney (SPK) transplantation was the major therapeutic option for diabetes patients. SPK had better graft survival than pancreas transplant alone (PTA) or pancreas-after-kidney (PAK) or pancreas-with-kidney (from a living donor, PWK). The 5-year pancreas graft survival rates for SPK, PWK, PAK, and PTA were 70.0%, 57.2%, 54.0%, and 48.2%, respectively. When long-term SPK pancreas graft survival was examined by various transplant time periods, it was found that survival has remained almost stable since 1996. Graft survival rates were high among the pancreas recipients transplanted in the periods 1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2012, and the rates were similar: the 5-year rates were 68.9%, 72.4%, and 73.8%, respectively. Technical failure was the leading cause of graft loss during the first year post-transplant, regardless of period: 61.3%, 68.6%, 64.2%, and 71.9% for 1987-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2012, respectively. After one year, chronic rejection was the leading cause of graft loss in all periods: 51.8%, 53.2%, 44.3%, and 40.7% for 1987-1995, 1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2012, respectively. Chronic rejection accounted for around 50% (or more) of the grafts that survived over five years. Survival of long-term pancreas grafts as well as long-term causes of graft loss remained almost unchanged across the different transplant periods. Clearly, there is a need for a means to identify early markers of chronic rejection, and to control it to improve long-term survival.

Inference on periodicity of circadian time series.

PubMed

Costa, Maria J; Finkenstädt, Bärbel; Roche, Véronique; Lévi, Francis; Gould, Peter D; Foreman, Julia; Halliday, Karen; Hall, Anthony; Rand, David A

2013-09-01

Estimation of the period length of time-course data from cyclical biological processes, such as those driven by the circadian pacemaker, is crucial for inferring the properties of the biological clock found in many living organisms. We propose a methodology for period estimation based on spectrum resampling (SR) techniques. Simulation studies show that SR is superior and more robust to non-sinusoidal and noisy cycles than a currently used routine based on Fourier approximations. In addition, a simple fit to the oscillations using linear least squares is available, together with a non-parametric test for detecting changes in period length which allows for period estimates with different variances, as frequently encountered in practice. The proposed methods are motivated by and applied to various data examples from chronobiology.

H∞ control problem of linear periodic piecewise time-delay systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Xiaochen; Lam, James; Li, Panshuo

2018-04-01

This paper investigates the H∞ control problem based on exponential stability and weighted L2-gain analyses for a class of continuous-time linear periodic piecewise systems with time delay. A periodic piecewise Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional is developed by integrating a discontinuous time-varying matrix function with two global terms. By applying the improved constraints to the stability and L2-gain analyses, sufficient delay-dependent exponential stability and weighted L2-gain criteria are proposed for the periodic piecewise time-delay system. Based on these analyses, an H∞ control scheme is designed under the considerations of periodic state feedback control input and iterative optimisation. Finally, numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed conditions.

Changes in plant species composition of coastal dune habitats over a 20-year period

PubMed Central

Del Vecchio, Silvia; Prisco, Irene; Acosta, Alicia T. R.; Stanisci, Angela

2015-01-01

Coastal sandy ecosystems are increasingly being threatened by human pressure, causing loss of biodiversity, habitat degradation and landscape modifications. However, there are still very few detailed studies focussing on compositional changes in coastal dune plant communities over time. In this work, we investigated how coastal dune European Union (EU) habitats (from pioneer annual beach communities to Mediterranean scrubs on the landward fixed dunes) have changed during the last 20 years. Using phytosociological relevés conducted in 1989–90 and in 2010–12, we investigated changes in floristic composition over time. We then compared plant cover and the proportion of ruderal, alien and habitat diagnostic species (‘focal species’) in the two periods. Finally, we used Ellenberg indicator values to define the ‘preferences’ of the plant species for temperature and moisture. We found that only fore dune habitats showed significant differences in species cover between the two time periods, with higher plant cover in the more recent relevés and a significant increase in thermophilic species. Although previous studies have demonstrated consistent habitat loss in this area, we observed that all coastal dune plant communities remain well represented, after a 20-year period. However, fore dunes have been experiencing significant compositional changes. Although we cannot confirm whether the observed changes are strictly related to climatic changes, to human pressure or to both, we hypothesize that a moderate increment in average yearly temperature may have promoted the increase in plant cover and the spread of thermophilic species. Thus, even though human activities are major driving forces of change in coastal dune vegetation, at the community scale climatic factors may also play important roles. Our study draws on re-visitation studies which appear to constitute a powerful tool for the assessment of the conservation status of EU habitats. PMID:25750408

Review of the Journal Acta Informatica Medica During Eight Year Period: 2008-2015

PubMed Central

Masic, Izet; Begic, Edin; Zunic, Lejla

2016-01-01

Introduction: Acta Informatica Medica is official journal of the Academy for Medical Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina (from 2014 Acta Inform Med is published bimonthly). Aim: To evaluate journal “Acta Informatica Medica” in 2015 and compare findings to previous years. Material and methods: The study has retrospective and descriptive character, and included the period 2008-2015 (included 36 issues of journal). Results: A total of 83 (average 13,8 articles per journal) articles were published in Acta Informatica Medica during 2015. Analyzing the type of articles, original articles are present in majority during 2015 (68,6%) (by analyzing last eight years, 310 (67,3%) were original). During 2015, 27,7% of articles were related to the applied of Health informatics in field of clinical medicine, 63,8% preclinical medicine and 8,5% to public health. Collaboration rate in 2015 was 0,84. Most often the time required for decision on acceptance of article in 2015 is between 50 and 60 days. Articles came from 16 countries. According to scimagojr.com for 2014, Acta Informatica Medica has SCImago Journal Rank 0,166, while Cites / Doc. (2 years) parameter (widely used as impact index) is 0,70. According to GoogleScholar, h5 index is 11 and h5 median is 19. We analyzed the Acta Informatica Medica by “Publish or Perish” software - H index was 14, g index was 19 and e-index was 10.39. Conclusion: Year after year the highest number of original articles are published. Although the period of revision of articles is acceptable, the period up to two months is certainly not long, the goal is to reduce this period. Although the magazine in mentioned field found its place, although it is indexed in numerous bases, including: PubMed, PubMed Central, SCOPUS, EMBASE, EBSCO, etc. The main goal for next year is that the magazine becomes part of the Web of Science. Imperative is further internationalization of the magazine. PMID:27147796

Review of the Journal Acta Informatica Medica During Eight Year Period: 2008-2015.

PubMed

Masic, Izet; Begic, Edin; Zunic, Lejla

2016-04-01

Acta Informatica Medica is official journal of the Academy for Medical Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina (from 2014 Acta Inform Med is published bimonthly). To evaluate journal "Acta Informatica Medica" in 2015 and compare findings to previous years. The study has retrospective and descriptive character, and included the period 2008-2015 (included 36 issues of journal). A total of 83 (average 13,8 articles per journal) articles were published in Acta Informatica Medica during 2015. Analyzing the type of articles, original articles are present in majority during 2015 (68,6%) (by analyzing last eight years, 310 (67,3%) were original). During 2015, 27,7% of articles were related to the applied of Health informatics in field of clinical medicine, 63,8% preclinical medicine and 8,5% to public health. Collaboration rate in 2015 was 0,84. Most often the time required for decision on acceptance of article in 2015 is between 50 and 60 days. Articles came from 16 countries. According to scimagojr.com for 2014, Acta Informatica Medica has SCImago Journal Rank 0,166, while Cites / Doc. (2 years) parameter (widely used as impact index) is 0,70. According to GoogleScholar, h5 index is 11 and h5 median is 19. We analyzed the Acta Informatica Medica by "Publish or Perish" software - H index was 14, g index was 19 and e-index was 10.39. Year after year the highest number of original articles are published. Although the period of revision of articles is acceptable, the period up to two months is certainly not long, the goal is to reduce this period. Although the magazine in mentioned field found its place, although it is indexed in numerous bases, including: PubMed, PubMed Central, SCOPUS, EMBASE, EBSCO, etc. The main goal for next year is that the magazine becomes part of the Web of Science. Imperative is further internationalization of the magazine.

Spectroscopic Binaries: Towards the 100-Year Time Domain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, R. F.

2012-04-01

Good measurements of visual binary stars (position angle and angular separation) have been made for nearly 200 years. Radial-velocity observers have exhibited less patience; when the orbital periods of late-type stars in the catalogue published in 1978 are sorted into bins half a logarithmic unit wide, the modal bin is the one with periods between 3 and 10 days. The same treatment of the writer's orbits shows the modal bin to be the one between 1000 and 3000 days. Of course the spectroscopists cannot quickly catch up the 200 years that the visual observers have been going, but many spectroscopic orbits with periods of decades, and a few of the order of a century, have been published. Technical developments have also been made in `visual' orbit determination, and orbits with periods of only a few days have been determined for certain `visual' binaries. In principle, therefore, the time domains of visual and spectroscopic binaries now largely overlap. Overlap is essential, as it is only by combining both techniques that orbits can be determined in three dimensions, as is necessary for the important objective of determining stellar masses accurately. Nevertheless the actual overlap-objects with accurate measurements by both techniques-remains disappointingly small. There have, however, been unforeseen benefits from the observation of spectroscopic binaries that have unconventionally long orbital periods, not a few of which have proved to be interesting and significant objects in their own right. It has also been shown that binary membership is more common than was once thought (orbits have even been determined for some of the IAU standard radial-velocity stars!); a recent study of the radial velocities of K giants that had been monitored for 45 years found a binary incidence of 30%, whereas a figure of 13.7% was given as recently as 2005 for a similar group.

Time-delayed feedback technique for suppressing instabilities in time-periodic flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaabani-Ardali, Léopold; Sipp, Denis; Lesshafft, Lutz

2017-11-01

A numerical method is presented that allows to compute time-periodic flow states, even in the presence of hydrodynamic instabilities. The method is based on filtering nonharmonic components by way of delayed feedback control, as introduced by Pyragas [Phys. Lett. A 170, 421 (1992), 10.1016/0375-9601(92)90745-8]. Its use in flow problems is demonstrated here for the case of a periodically forced laminar jet, subject to a subharmonic instability that gives rise to vortex pairing. The optimal choice of the filter gain, which is a free parameter in the stabilization procedure, is investigated in the context of a low-dimensional model problem, and it is shown that this model predicts well the filter performance in the high-dimensional flow system. Vortex pairing in the jet is efficiently suppressed, so that the unstable periodic flow state in response to harmonic forcing is accurately retrieved. The procedure is straightforward to implement inside any standard flow solver. Memory requirements for the delayed feedback control can be significantly reduced by means of time interpolation between checkpoints. Finally, the method is extended for the treatment of periodic problems where the frequency is not known a priori. This procedure is demonstrated for a three-dimensional cubic lid-driven cavity in supercritical conditions.

The operative treatment of pressure sores in the pelvic region: A 10-year period overview

PubMed Central

Jósvay, János; Klauber, András; Both, Béla; Kelemen, Péter B.; Varga, Zsombor Z.; Pesthy, Pál Cs.

2015-01-01

Context Pelvic region pressure sores often develop following spinal cord injury. Surgery is often necessary for long standing, large-sized pressure sores not responding to conservative treatment. Authors analyze their results of a 10-year period, and identify factors contributing to the reduction of the recurrence rate. Methods A total of 119 pressure sores were operated on 98 patients in two institutions during a 10-year period (1 January 2003 to 31 December 2012). The encountered perioperative complications are summarized, and the recurrence rate is analyzed with a patient follow-up questionnaire. Results We experienced 15 perioperative complications (12.6%). All complications were fully resolved by conservative treatment. Fifty-eight returned patient replies were processed. The average follow-up time after surgery was 5.2 years. The recurrence rate was 5.47%. Conclusion The strict adherence to surgical indications, full patient compliance, specialized pre- and post-operative patient care, our routinely used preferred surgical method, all contribute to a low post-operative complication rate, long-term flap survival, and an extended recurrence free period. PMID:25299238

The operative treatment of pressure sores in the pelvic region: A 10-year period overview.

PubMed

Jósvay, János; Klauber, András; Both, Béla; Kelemen, Péter B; Varga, Zsombor Z; Pesthy, Pál Cs

2015-07-01

Pelvic region pressure sores often develop following spinal cord injury. Surgery is often necessary for long standing, large-sized pressure sores not responding to conservative treatment. Authors analyze their results of a 10-year period, and identify factors contributing to the reduction of the recurrence rate. A total of 119 pressure sores were operated on 98 patients in two institutions during a 10-year period (1 January 2003 to 31 December 2012). The encountered perioperative complications are summarized, and the recurrence rate is analyzed with a patient follow-up questionnaire. We experienced 15 perioperative complications (12.6%). All complications were fully resolved by conservative treatment. Fifty-eight returned patient replies were processed. The average follow-up time after surgery was 5.2 years. The recurrence rate was 5.47%. The strict adherence to surgical indications, full patient compliance, specialized pre- and post-operative patient care, our routinely used preferred surgical method, all contribute to a low post-operative complication rate, long-term flap survival, and an extended recurrence free period.

Accurate frequency domain measurement of the best linear time-invariant approximation of linear time-periodic systems including the quantification of the time-periodic distortions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louarroudi, E.; Pintelon, R.; Lataire, J.

2014-10-01

Time-periodic (TP) phenomena occurring, for instance, in wind turbines, helicopters, anisotropic shaft-bearing systems, and cardiovascular/respiratory systems, are often not addressed when classical frequency response function (FRF) measurements are performed. As the traditional FRF concept is based on the linear time-invariant (LTI) system theory, it is only approximately valid for systems with varying dynamics. Accordingly, the quantification of any deviation from this ideal LTI framework is more than welcome. The “measure of deviation” allows us to define the notion of the best LTI (BLTI) approximation, which yields the best - in mean square sense - LTI description of a linear time-periodic LTP system. By taking into consideration the TP effects, it is shown in this paper that the variability of the BLTI measurement can be reduced significantly compared with that of classical FRF estimators. From a single experiment, the proposed identification methods can handle (non-)linear time-periodic [(N)LTP] systems in open-loop with a quantification of (i) the noise and/or the NL distortions, (ii) the TP distortions and (iii) the transient (leakage) errors. Besides, a geometrical interpretation of the BLTI approximation is provided, leading to a framework called vector FRF analysis. The theory presented is supported by numerical simulations as well as real measurements mimicking the well-known mechanical Mathieu oscillator.

Mass content of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays within different time periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glushkov, A. V.

2014-03-01

Estimates obtained for the average atomic number of nuclei of primary particles with energies in the region of E 0 ⩾ 1015 eV over the past 36 years at the Yakutsk array and other arrays worldwide for studying extensive air showers are presented. It is shown that these estimates are markedly different with in different time periods. Earlier than 1996, the composition of cosmic rays in the energy range of 5 × 1015-1018 eV was markedly lighter than in later years. After 2008, there appeared a trend toward a decrease in . This is likely to be a manifestation of some explosive process in the Milky Way Galaxy after 1996.

Periodic, Quasi-periodic and Chaotic Dynamics in Simple Gene Elements with Time Delays

PubMed Central

Suzuki, Yoko; Lu, Mingyang; Ben-Jacob, Eshel; Onuchic, José N.

2016-01-01

Regulatory gene circuit motifs play crucial roles in performing and maintaining vital cellular functions. Frequently, theoretical studies of gene circuits focus on steady-state behaviors and do not include time delays. In this study, the inclusion of time delays is shown to entirely change the time-dependent dynamics for even the simplest possible circuits with one and two gene elements with self and cross regulations. These elements can give rise to rich behaviors including periodic, quasi-periodic, weak chaotic, strong chaotic and intermittent dynamics. We introduce a special power-spectrum-based method to characterize and discriminate these dynamical modes quantitatively. Our simulation results suggest that, while a single negative feedback loop of either one- or two-gene element can only have periodic dynamics, the elements with two positive/negative feedback loops are the minimalist elements to have chaotic dynamics. These elements typically have one negative feedback loop that generates oscillations, and another unit that allows frequent switches among multiple steady states or between oscillatory and non-oscillatory dynamics. Possible dynamical features of several simple one- and two-gene elements are presented in details. Discussion is presented for possible roles of the chaotic behavior in the robustness of cellular functions and diseases, for example, in the context of cancer. PMID:26876008

Periodic, Quasi-periodic and Chaotic Dynamics in Simple Gene Elements with Time Delays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suzuki, Yoko; Lu, Mingyang; Ben-Jacob, Eshel; Onuchic, José N.

2016-02-01

Regulatory gene circuit motifs play crucial roles in performing and maintaining vital cellular functions. Frequently, theoretical studies of gene circuits focus on steady-state behaviors and do not include time delays. In this study, the inclusion of time delays is shown to entirely change the time-dependent dynamics for even the simplest possible circuits with one and two gene elements with self and cross regulations. These elements can give rise to rich behaviors including periodic, quasi-periodic, weak chaotic, strong chaotic and intermittent dynamics. We introduce a special power-spectrum-based method to characterize and discriminate these dynamical modes quantitatively. Our simulation results suggest that, while a single negative feedback loop of either one- or two-gene element can only have periodic dynamics, the elements with two positive/negative feedback loops are the minimalist elements to have chaotic dynamics. These elements typically have one negative feedback loop that generates oscillations, and another unit that allows frequent switches among multiple steady states or between oscillatory and non-oscillatory dynamics. Possible dynamical features of several simple one- and two-gene elements are presented in details. Discussion is presented for possible roles of the chaotic behavior in the robustness of cellular functions and diseases, for example, in the context of cancer.

Robustness analysis of multirate and periodically time varying systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berg, Martin C.; Mason, Gregory S.

1991-01-01

A new method for analyzing the stability and robustness of multirate and periodically time varying systems is presented. It is shown that a multirate or periodically time varying system can be transformed into an equivalent time invariant system. For a SISO system, traditional gain and phase margins can be found by direct application of the Nyquist criterion to this equivalent time invariant system. For a MIMO system, structured and unstructured singular values can be used to determine the system's robustness. The limitations and implications of utilizing this equivalent time invariant system for calculating gain and phase margins, and for estimating robustness via singular value analysis are discussed.

Changes in body size and physical characteristics of South African under-20 rugby union players over a 13-year period.

PubMed

Lombard, Wayne P; Durandt, Justin J; Masimla, Herman; Green, Mervin; Lambert, Michael I

2015-04-01

This study compared changes in the body size and physical characteristics of South African under-20 rugby union players over a 13-year period. A total of 453 South African under-20 players (forwards: n = 256 and backs: n = 197) underwent measurements of body mass, stature, muscular strength, endurance, and 10- and 40-m sprint times. A 2-way analysis of variance was used to determine significant differences for the main effects of position (forwards vs. backs) and time (1998-2010). The pooled data showed that forwards were significantly heavier (22%), taller (5%), and stronger (18%) than the backs. However, when 1 repetition maximum strength scores were adjusted for body mass, backs were stronger per kg body mass. Stature did not change over the 13-year period for both groups. There were, however, significant increases in muscular strength (50%), body mass (20%), and muscular endurance (50%). Furthermore, an improvement in sprint times over 40 (4%) and 10 m (7%) was evident over the period of the study. In conclusion, the players became heavier, stronger, taller, and improved their upper-body muscular endurance over the 13 years of the study. Furthermore, sprint times over 10 and 40 m improved over the same time period despite the increase in body mass. It can be speculated that the changes in physical characteristics of the players over time are possibly a consequence of (a) adaptations to the changing demands of the game and (b) advancements in training methods.

Trends in U.S., Past-Year Marijuana Use from 1985–2009; An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis

PubMed Central

Miech, Richard; Koester, Stephen

2014-01-01

Background We present a formal age-period-cohort analysis to examine if the recent increase in past-year marijuana use among the young is specific to the younger generation or if, instead, it is part of a general increase present across cohorts of all ages. This is the first age-period-cohort analysis of past-year marijuana use that includes adult trends from 2001–09. Methods Data come from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a series of annual, nationally-representative, cross-sectional surveys of the U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized population. The analysis focuses on the 25 year time span from 1985–2009 and uses the recently developed ‘intrinsic estimator’ algorithm to estimate independent effects of age, period, and cohort. Results The recent increase in past-year marijuana use is not unique to the youngest birth cohorts. An independent, positive influence of cohort membership on past-year marijuana use, net of historical period and age effects, is smaller for today’s youngest cohorts than it was for the cohorts that came immediately before, and, in fact, is at its lowest level in three decades. The recent increase in marijuana use among the young is more consistent with a historical period effect that has acted across all cohorts. Period and cohort trends differ substantially for Hispanics. Conclusions The major forces that drive trends in past-year marijuana use are moving away from cohort-specific factors and toward broad-based influences that affect cohorts of all ages. Strategic public health and policy efforts aimed at countering the recent increase in past-year marijuana use should do the same. PMID:22361212

A technique to detect periodic and non-periodic ultra-rapid flux time variations with standard radio-astronomical data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borra, Ermanno F.; Romney, Jonathan D.; Trottier, Eric

2018-06-01

We demonstrate that extremely rapid and weak periodic and non-periodic signals can easily be detected by using the autocorrelation of intensity as a function of time. We use standard radio-astronomical observations that have artificial periodic and non-periodic signals generated by the electronics of terrestrial origin. The autocorrelation detects weak signals that have small amplitudes because it averages over long integration times. Another advantage is that it allows a direct visualization of the shape of the signals, while it is difficult to see the shape with a Fourier transform. Although Fourier transforms can also detect periodic signals, a novelty of this work is that we demonstrate another major advantage of the autocorrelation, that it can detect non-periodic signals while the Fourier transform cannot. Another major novelty of our work is that we use electric fields taken in a standard format with standard instrumentation at a radio observatory and therefore no specialized instrumentation is needed. Because the electric fields are sampled every 15.625 ns, they therefore allow detection of very rapid time variations. Notwithstanding the long integration times, the autocorrelation detects very rapid intensity variations as a function of time. The autocorrelation could also detect messages from Extraterrestrial Intelligence as non-periodic signals.

Do Autistic Symptoms Persist across Time? Evidence of Substantial Change in Symptomatology over a 3-Year Period in Cognitively Able Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pellicano, Elizabeth

2012-01-01

This study investigated the extent and nature of changes in symptomatology in cognitively able children with autism over a 3-year period. Thirty-seven children diagnosed with an autism spectrum condition involved in an earlier study (M age = 5 years, 7 months) were followed and reassessed 3 years later (M age = 8 years, 4 months). Scores on the…

The timing behavior of magnetar Swift J1822.3-1606: timing noise or a decreasing period derivative?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Hao; Xu, Ren-Xin

2013-10-01

The different timing results of the magnetar Swift J1822.3-1606 are analyzed and understood theoretically. It is noted that different timing solutions are caused not only by timing noise, but also because the period derivative is decreasing after the outburst. Both the decreasing period derivative and the large timing noise may originate from wind braking associated with the magnetar. Future timing of Swift J1822.3-1606 will help clarify whether or not its period derivative is decreasing with time.

Switched periodic systems in discrete time: stability and input-output norms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolzern, Paolo; Colaneri, Patrizio

2013-07-01

This paper deals with the analysis of stability and the characterisation of input-output norms for discrete-time periodic switched linear systems. Such systems consist of a network of time-periodic linear subsystems sharing the same state vector and an exogenous switching signal that triggers the jumps between the subsystems. The overall system exhibits a complex dynamic behaviour due to the interplay between the time periodicity of the subsystem parameters and the switching signal. Both arbitrary switching signals and signals satisfying a dwell-time constraint are considered. Linear matrix inequality conditions for stability and guaranteed H2 and H∞ performances are provided. The results heavily rely on the merge of the theory of linear periodic systems and recent developments on switched linear time-invariant systems.

Periodic Analysis Between Solar Variability and the Earth's Temperature From Centuries to Ten Thousand Years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, X.; Feng, X. S.

2014-12-01

The global warming is one of the hottest topics for both scientists and the public at present. Strong evidences have shown that the global warming is related to the man-made increasing greenhouse gas levels. Besides the artificial factors, natural forces also contribute to the Earth's climate change. Among them, solar activity is an important ingredient of the natural driving forces of the Earth's climate. In this study, two data sets are adopted to investigate the periodicities of both solar activity and the variation of the Earth temperature as well as their correlations based on the wavelet analysis and cross correlation method. The first one is a directly measured data set covering centuries, while the second one is the reconstructed data during the past 11,000 years. The obtained results demonstrate that solar activity and the Earth's temperature have significant resonance cycles, and the Earth's temperature has periodic variations similar to those of solar activity. For centuries, these common periodicities include the 22-year cycle and the 50-year cycle. While for 11,000 years, they are the 200-year, 500-year, 1000-year, and 2000-year cycles. Correlation analysis reveals that the correlations between solar variability and the Earth's temperature are statistically significant. The correlation coefficient (C.C.) between the 11-year running averaged Total Solar Irradiance (TSI) and the ocean temperature is 0.88 during the past 133 years of global warming. While for 11,000 years, the C.C. between the 500-year running averages of sunspot number (SSN) and the Earth temperature (r=0.51, p=1%) is stronger than that between the temperature and the atmospheric CO2 concentration (r=0.35, p=10%). All these support that solar activity should have non-ignorable effects on the Earth's climate change, especially before the modern industrial time.

Evapotranspiration response to multi-year dry periods in the semi-arid western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rungee, J. P., II; Bales, R. C.

2017-12-01

Analysis of measured evapotranspiration shows multi-year regolith water storage can support evapotranspiration for years into a multi-year dry period. Measurements at 25 flux-tower sites in the semi-arid western United States, distributed across five primary land-cover types, show both resilience and vulnerability to multi-year dry periods. Average evapotranspiration ranged from about 700+200 mm per water year (October-September) in evergreen needleleaf forests to 350+150 mm per water year in grasslands and open shrublands. On average, in California's Mediterranean climate almost half of the water-year evapotranspiration is supported by seasonal and/or multi-year regolith water storage, compared to a characteristic 20 to 30 percent value of energy-limited and inland sites. Below 35oN latitude, water-year evapotranspiration exceeded estimated precipitation in over half of the years on record. For non-energy-limited sites, water-year evapotranspiration increased with precipitation up to a maximum water-year evapotranspiration value of about 900, 750, 600, 425 and 300 mm per water year for evergreen needleleaf forests, mixed forests, woody savannas, grasslands and open shrublands, respectively. There were 15 multi-year dry periods on record that exhibited either an attenuation in evapotranspiration, defined as an annual value below 80% of the wet-year average, or withdrawal from multi-year storage. A multi-year dry period was defined as three or more consecutive water years in which all water-year precipitation values and the mean period value were in the lower 50 and 35 percent of the historical record, respectively. For sites exhibiting evapotranspiration attenuation, resistance to multi-year dry periods ranged from 9 to 49 months, drafting as much as 444 mm of regolith storage. At some mountain sites regolith storage provided up to 678 mm, almost the equivalent of the average water-year evapotranspiration for these sites, over the extent of the multi-year dry

18 CFR 290.103 - Time of filing and reporting period.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Time of filing and reporting period. 290.103 Section 290.103 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... POLICIES ACT OF 1978 Coverage, Compliance and Definitions § 290.103 Time of filing and reporting period...

18 CFR 290.103 - Time of filing and reporting period.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 18 Conservation of Power and Water Resources 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Time of filing and reporting period. 290.103 Section 290.103 Conservation of Power and Water Resources FEDERAL ENERGY... POLICIES ACT OF 1978 Coverage, Compliance and Definitions § 290.103 Time of filing and reporting period...

Point and 5-year period prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia: the Cache County Study.

PubMed

Steinberg, Martin; Shao, Huibo; Zandi, Peter; Lyketsos, Constantine G; Welsh-Bohmer, Kathleen A; Norton, Maria C; Breitner, John C S; Steffens, David C; Tschanz, Joann T

2008-02-01

Neuropsychiatric symptoms are nearly universal in dementia, yet little is known about their longitudinal course in the community. To estimate point and 5-year period prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms in an incident sample of 408 dementia participants from the Cache County Study. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory assessed symptoms at baseline and at 1.5 years, 3.0 years, 4.1 years, and 5.3 years. Point prevalence, period prevalence and mean symptom severity at each time point were estimated. Point prevalence for delusions was 18% at baseline and 34-38% during the last three visits; hallucinations, 10% at baseline and 19-24% subsequently; agitation/aggression fluctuated between 13% and 24%; depression 29% at baseline and 41-47% subsequently; apathy increased from 20% at baseline to 51% at 5.3 years; elation never rose above 1%; anxiety 14% at baseline and 24-32% subsequently; disinhibition fluctuated between 2% and 15%; irritability between 17% and 27%; aberrant motor behavior gradually increased from 7% at baseline to 29% at 5.3 years. Point prevalence for any symptom was 56% at baseline and 76-87% subsequently. Five-year period prevalence was greatest for depression (77%), apathy (71%), and anxiety (62%); lowest for elation (6%), and disinhibition (31%). Ninety-seven percent experienced at least one symptom. Symptom severity was consistently highest for apathy. Participants were most likely to develop depression, apathy, or anxiety, and least likely to develop elation or disinhibition. Give converging evidence that syndromal definitions may more accurately capture neuropsychiatric co-morbidity in dementia, future efforts to validate such syndromes are warranted. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

15 CFR 325.4 - Calculating time periods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Calculating time periods. 325.4 Section 325.4 Commerce and Foreign Trade Regulations Relating to Commerce and Foreign Trade (Continued) INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MISCELLANEOUS REGULATIONS EXPORT TRADE CERTIFICATES...

Efficient Fourier-based algorithms for time-periodic unsteady problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopinath, Arathi Kamath

2007-12-01

This dissertation work proposes two algorithms for the simulation of time-periodic unsteady problems via the solution of Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) equations. These algorithms use a Fourier representation in time and hence solve for the periodic state directly without resolving transients (which consume most of the resources in a time-accurate scheme). In contrast to conventional Fourier-based techniques which solve the governing equations in frequency space, the new algorithms perform all the calculations in the time domain, and hence require minimal modifications to an existing solver. The complete space-time solution is obtained by iterating in a fifth pseudo-time dimension. Various time-periodic problems such as helicopter rotors, wind turbines, turbomachinery and flapping-wings can be simulated using the Time Spectral method. The algorithm is first validated using pitching airfoil/wing test cases. The method is further extended to turbomachinery problems, and computational results verified by comparison with a time-accurate calculation. The technique can be very memory intensive for large problems, since the solution is computed (and hence stored) simultaneously at all time levels. Often, the blade counts of a turbomachine are rescaled such that a periodic fraction of the annulus can be solved. This approximation enables the solution to be obtained at a fraction of the cost of a full-scale time-accurate solution. For a viscous computation over a three-dimensional single-stage rescaled compressor, an order of magnitude savings is achieved. The second algorithm, the reduced-order Harmonic Balance method is applicable only to turbomachinery flows, and offers even larger computational savings than the Time Spectral method. It simulates the true geometry of the turbomachine using only one blade passage per blade row as the computational domain. In each blade row of the turbomachine, only the dominant frequencies are resolved, namely

Annual incidences of visual impairment during 10-year period in Mie prefecture, Japan.

PubMed

Ikesugi, Kengo; Ichio, Takako; Tsukitome, Hideyuki; Kondo, Mineo

2017-07-01

To determine the annual incidence of visual impairment in a Japanese population during a 10-year period. We examined the physical disability certificates issued yearly between 2004 and 2013 in Mie prefecture, Japan. During this period 2468 visually impaired people were registered under the newly defined Act on Welfare of the Physically Disabled Persons' criteria. The age, sex distribution, and causes of visual impairment were determined from the certificates. The major causes of visual impairment during the ten-year period were glaucoma (23.3%), diabetic retinopathy (17.3%), retinitis pigmentosa (12.2%), macular degeneration (9.0%), chorioretinal degeneration or high myopia (7.4%), optic atrophy (5.8%), stroke or brain tumor (5.4%) and cataracts (3.7%). The incidence of glaucoma was significantly higher throughout the period (2004-2013), and that of diabetic retinopathy was lower between 2007 and 2013. The incidence of retinitis pigmentosa did not change significantly during the 10-year period. The incidence of macular degeneration tended to increase between 2004 and 2007, but it decreased significantly between 2007 and 2013. The results indicate that in Japan, the rates of the major causes of visual impairment altered in the most recent 10-year period reflecting the recent changes in the social background and advances in ocular and systemic treatment.

Development of potential map for landslides by comparing instability indices of various time periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiang, Jie-Lun; Tian, Yu-Qing; Chen, Yie-Ruey; Tsai, Kuang-Jung

2017-04-01

In recent years, extreme rainfall events occur frequently and induced serious landslides and debris flow disasters in Taiwan. The instability indices will differ when using landslide maps of different time periods. We analyzed the landslide records during the period year, 2008 2012, the landslide area contributed 0.42% 2.94% of the total watershed area, the 2.94% was caused by the typhoon Morakot in August, 2009, which brought massive rainfall in which the cumulative maximum rainfall was up to 2900 mm. We analyzed the instability factors including elevation, slope, aspect, soil, and geology. And comparing the instability indices by using individual landslide map of 2008 2012, the landslide maps of the union of the five years, and interaction of the five years. The landslide area from union of the five years contributed 3.71%,the landslide area from interaction of the five years contributed 0.14%. In this study, Kriging was used to establish the susceptibility map in selected watershed. From interaction of the five years, we found the instability index above 4.3 can correspond to those landslide records. The potential landslide area of the selected watershed, where collapses occur more likely, belongs to high level and medium-high level; the area is 13.43% and 3.04% respectively.

Effects of age, time period, and birth cohort on the prevalence of diabetes and obesity in Korean men.

PubMed

Kwon, Jin-Won; Song, Yun-mi; Park, Hye soon; Sung, Joohon; Kim, Ho; Cho, Sung-il

2008-02-01

We examined changes in the prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and overweight in 412,881 Korean men in birth cohorts from 1933 to 1972 over 8 years from 1992 to 2000 and separately analyzed the effects of age, time period, and birth cohort. The study included male employees of Korean government organizations and schools who were between 20 and 59 years of age in 1992. Diabetes was diagnosed on the basis of self-reports in 1992 or fasting blood glucose levels (>or=126 mg/ml, 7.0 mmol/l). The age-period-cohort model was used to estimate the effects of age, time period, and birth cohort. In Korean male birth cohorts from 1933 to 1972, the age-specific prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and overweight in men aged 28-59 years increased annually by 0.41% (3.03 to 6.29%), 0.18% (0.70 to 2.16%), and 1.49% (23.48 to 35.41%), respectively, from 1992 to 2000. The relative change in diabetes was largest among the younger cohorts (>400% increase over 8 years) and corresponded to the change in obesity. Apart from the contribution of age, clear cohort and period effects were evident for diabetes, although the magnitude of the effect was slightly less than that for obesity. Prevention of diabetes through the control of obesity, particularly in young men, clearly needs to be emphasized.

Existence, Uniqueness and Asymptotic Stability of Time Periodic Traveling Waves for a Periodic Lotka-Volterra Competition System with Diffusion

PubMed Central

Zhao, Guangyu; Ruan, Shigui

2011-01-01

We study the existence, uniqueness, and asymptotic stability of time periodic traveling wave solutions to a periodic diffusive Lotka-Volterra competition system. Under certain conditions, we prove that there exists a maximal wave speed c* such that for each wave speed c ≤ c*, there is a time periodic traveling wave connecting two semi-trivial periodic solutions of the corresponding kinetic system. It is shown that such a traveling wave is unique modulo translation and is monotone with respect to its co-moving frame coordinate. We also show that the traveling wave solutions with wave speed c < c* are asymptotically stable in certain sense. In addition, we establish the nonexistence of time periodic traveling waves for nonzero speed c > c*. PMID:21572575

Transition fronts of time periodic bistable reaction-diffusion equations in RN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheng, Wei-Jie; Guo, Hong-Jun

2018-09-01

This paper is concerned with the existence and qualitative properties of transition fronts for time periodic bistable reaction-diffusion equations in RN. We first show that any almost-planar transition front is actually planar, regardless of the number of transition layers. Then we prove that all transition fronts admit a global mean speed γ and it holds γ = | c |, where c is the speed of the planar traveling front. Finally we establish the existence of a transition front in RN that is not a standard traveling front. Such a front behaves like three moving time periodic planar fronts as time goes to -∞ and like a time periodic V-shaped traveling front as time goes to ∞.

Trends in Pulmonary Hypertension Over a Period of 30 Years: Experience From a Single Referral Centre.

PubMed

Quezada Loaiza, Carlos Andrés; Velázquez Martín, María Teresa; Jiménez López-Guarch, Carmen; Ruiz Cano, María José; Navas Tejedor, Paula; Carreira, Patricia Esmeralda; Flox Camacho, Ángela; de Pablo Gafas, Alicia; Delgado Jiménez, Juan Francisco; Gómez Sánchez, Miguel Ángel; Escribano Subías, Pilar

2017-11-01

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by increased pulmonary vascular resistance, right ventricular dysfunction and death. Despite scientific advances, is still associated with high morbidity and mortality. The aim is to describe the clinical approach and determine the prognostic factors of patients with PAH treated in a national reference center over 30 years. Three hundred and seventy nine consecutive patients with PAH (January 1984 to December 2014) were studied. Were divided into 3 periods of time: before 2004, 2004-2009 and 2010-2014. Prognostic factors (multivariate analysis) were analyzed for clinical deterioration. Median age was 44 years (68.6% women), functional class III-IV: 72%. An increase was observed in more complex etiologies in the last period of time: Pulmonary venooclusive disease and portopulmonary hypertension. Upfront combination therapy significantly increased (5% before 2004 vs 27% after 2010; P < .05). Multivariate analysis showed prognostic significance in age, sex, etiology and combined clinical variables as they are independent predictors of clinical deterioration (P < .05). Survival free from death or transplantation for the 1st, 3rd and 5th year was 92.2%, 80.6% and 68.5% respectively. The median survival was 9 years (95% confidence interval, 7.532-11.959) CONCLUSIONS: The PAH is a heterogeneous and complex disease, the median survival free from death or transplantation in our series is 9 years after diagnosis. The structure of a multidisciplinary unit PAH must adapt quickly to changes that occur over time incorporating new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques. Copyright © 2017 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Changes in physical fitness and nutritional status of schoolchildren in a period of 30 years (1980-2010)

PubMed Central

Ferrari, Gerson Luis de Moraes; Matsudo, Victor Keihan Rodrigues; Fisberg, Mauro

2015-01-01

Objective: To analyze and compare the changes in physical fitness according to the nutritional status and gender of schoolchildren during a period of 30 years (1980-2010). Methods: Four cross-sectional evaluations were performed every 10 years in a period of 30 years from 1978 to 1980 (baseline), 1988-1990 (10 years), 1998-2000 (20 years) and 2008-2010 (30 years). The sample consisted of 1291 schoolchildren (188 in baseline, 307 in 10 years; 375 in 20 years; 421 in 30 years) of 10 and 11 years old. The variables assessed were: body weight (kg), height (cm), upper limb strength (ULS; kg), lower limb strength (LLS; cm), agility (seconds) and velocity (seconds). Schoolchildren were classified as normal weight and overweight according to World Health Organization reference of body mass index for age and gender. Comparisons among periods applied ANOVA followed by Bonferroni test, with a significance level set at of p<0.01. Variation between baseline and 30 years was assessed by the percentage delta. Seven different percentile values were presented for each variable. Results: In eutrophic boys and girls, mean values of ULS (−16.7%; −3.2%), agility (−1.5%; −1.6%) decreased significantly after 30 years (p<0.001). In the overweight boys and girls, only the average ULS (−15.5%; −12.5%) decreased significantly over time (p<0.001). After 30 years, the ULS percentile changed in boys. Conclusions: The decline in physical fitness was greater in schoolchildren with normal weight than in those with overweight. PMID:26298653

Time-periodic solutions of the Benjamin-Ono equation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ambrose , D.M.; Wilkening, Jon

2008-04-01

We present a spectrally accurate numerical method for finding non-trivial time-periodic solutions of non-linear partial differential equations. The method is based on minimizing a functional (of the initial condition and the period) that is positive unless the solution is periodic, in which case it is zero. We solve an adjoint PDE to compute the gradient of this functional with respect to the initial condition. We include additional terms in the functional to specify the free parameters, which, in the case of the Benjamin-Ono equation, are the mean, a spatial phase, a temporal phase and the real part of one ofmore » the Fourier modes at t = 0. We use our method to study global paths of non-trivial time-periodic solutions connecting stationary and traveling waves of the Benjamin-Ono equation. As a starting guess for each path, we compute periodic solutions of the linearized problem by solving an infinite dimensional eigenvalue problem in closed form. We then use our numerical method to continue these solutions beyond the realm of linear theory until another traveling wave is reached (or until the solution blows up). By experimentation with data fitting, we identify the analytical form of the solutions on the path connecting the one-hump stationary solution to the two-hump traveling wave. We then derive exact formulas for these solutions by explicitly solving the system of ODE's governing the evolution of solitons using the ansatz suggested by the numerical simulations.« less

7 CFR 1210.310 - Fiscal period and marketing year.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fiscal period and marketing year. 1210.310 Section 1210.310 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WATERMELON RESEARCH AND PROMOTION PLAN Watermelon...

7 CFR 1219.10 - Fiscal period or marketing year.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 10 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fiscal period or marketing year. 1219.10 Section 1219.10 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING SERVICE (MARKETING AGREEMENTS AND ORDERS; MISCELLANEOUS COMMODITIES), DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE HASS AVOCADO PROMOTION, RESEARCH, AND INFORMATION Hass...

A framework for periodic outlier pattern detection in time-series sequences.

PubMed

Rasheed, Faraz; Alhajj, Reda

2014-05-01

Periodic pattern detection in time-ordered sequences is an important data mining task, which discovers in the time series all patterns that exhibit temporal regularities. Periodic pattern mining has a large number of applications in real life; it helps understanding the regular trend of the data along time, and enables the forecast and prediction of future events. An interesting related and vital problem that has not received enough attention is to discover outlier periodic patterns in a time series. Outlier patterns are defined as those which are different from the rest of the patterns; outliers are not noise. While noise does not belong to the data and it is mostly eliminated by preprocessing, outliers are actual instances in the data but have exceptional characteristics compared with the majority of the other instances. Outliers are unusual patterns that rarely occur, and, thus, have lesser support (frequency of appearance) in the data. Outlier patterns may hint toward discrepancy in the data such as fraudulent transactions, network intrusion, change in customer behavior, recession in the economy, epidemic and disease biomarkers, severe weather conditions like tornados, etc. We argue that detecting the periodicity of outlier patterns might be more important in many sequences than the periodicity of regular, more frequent patterns. In this paper, we present a robust and time efficient suffix tree-based algorithm capable of detecting the periodicity of outlier patterns in a time series by giving more significance to less frequent yet periodic patterns. Several experiments have been conducted using both real and synthetic data; all aspects of the proposed approach are compared with the existing algorithm InfoMiner; the reported results demonstrate the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed approach.

Periodic collapse and long-time evolution of strong Langmuir turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheung, P. Y.; Wong, A. Y.

1985-10-01

Experimental measurements on the long-time evolution of strong Langmuir turbulence in a beam-plasma system reveal a picture of periodic, short bursts of Langmuir wave collapse instead of the existence of long-lived solitons. The remnants of density cavities from burnout cavitons are observed to curtail wave growth periodically, creating time intervals of low wave activity between successive cycles of wave collapse, and establishing three regimes of wave evolution.

Period and phase comparisons of near-decadal oscillations in solar, geomagnetic, and cosmic ray time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juckett, David A.

2001-09-01

A more complete understanding of the periodic dynamics of the Sun requires continued exploration of non-11-year oscillations in addition to the benchmark 11-year sunspot cycle. In this regard, several solar, geomagnetic, and cosmic ray time series were examined to identify common spectral components and their relative phase relationships. Several non-11-year oscillations were identified within the near-decadal range with periods of ~8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 22, and 29 years. To test whether these frequency components were simply low-level noise or were related to a common source, the phases were extracted for each component in each series. The phases were nearly identical across the solar and geomagnetic series, while the corresponding components in four cosmic ray surrogate series exhibited inverted phases, similar to the known phase relationship with the 11-year sunspot cycle. Cluster analysis revealed that this pattern was unlikely to occur by chance. It was concluded that many non-11-year oscillations truly exist in the solar dynamical environment and that these contribute to the complex variations observed in geomagnetic and cosmic ray time series. Using the different energy sensitivities of the four cosmic ray surrogate series, a preliminary indication of the relative intensities of the various solar-induced oscillations was observed. It provides evidence that many of the non-11-year oscillations result from weak interplanetary magnetic field/solar wind oscillations that originate from corresponding variations in the open-field regions of the Sun.

[Changes in physical fitness and nutritional status of schoolchildren in a period of 30 years (1980-2010)].

PubMed

de Moraes Ferrari, Gerson Luis; Matsudo, Victor Keihan Rodrigues; Fisberg, Mauro

2015-12-01

To analyze and compare the changes in physical fitness according to the nutritional status and gender of schoolchildren during a period of 30 years (1980-2010). Four cross-sectional evaluations were performed every 10 years in a period of 30 years from 1978 to 1980 (baseline), 1988-1990 (10 years), 1998-2000 (20 years) and 2008-2010 (30 years). The sample consisted of 1,291 schoolchildren (188 in baseline, 307 in 10 years; 375 in 20 years; 421 in 30 years) of 10 and 11 years old. The variables assessed were: body weight (kg), height (cm), upper limb strength (ULS; kg), lower limb strength (LLS; cm), agility (seconds) and velocity (seconds). Schoolchildren were classified as normal weight and overweight according to World Health Organization reference of body mass index for age and gender. Comparisons among periods applied ANOVA folled by Bonferroni test, with a significance level set at of p<0.01. Variation between baseline and 30 years was assessed by the percentage delta. Seven different percentile values were presented for each variable. In eutrophic boys and girls, mean values of ULS (-16.7%; -3.2%), agility (-1.5%; -1.6%) decreased significantly after 30 years (p<0,001). In the overweight boys and girls, only the average ULS (-15.5%; -12.5%) decreased significantly over time (p<0,001). After 30 years, the ULS percentile changed in boys. the decline in physical fitness was greater in schoolchildren with normal weight than in those with overweight. Copyright © 2015 Sociedade de Pediatria de São Paulo. Publicado por Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

A Retrospective Audit of Dental Treatment Provided to Special Needs Patients under General Anesthesia During a Ten-Year Period.

PubMed

Mallineni, Sreekanth Kumar; Yiu, Cynthia Kar Y

The purpose of this study was to perform a comprehensive audit of dental treatment provided to special needs patients (SNP) under general anesthesia (GA) over a ten-year period. Special needs patients who received dental treatment under GA as an in-patient at Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong SAR during the time period January 2002 and December 2011 were included in the study. The study population was divided into three groups, based on age (<6years, 6-12 years, >12 years). One-way ANOVA was used to evaluate the effect of "age group" on duration of treatment, post-recovery time, treatment procedures and utilization of different restorative materials. Kappa statistics were used for intra-examiner reliability. A total of 275 patients (174 males and 101 females) were included in the study. The mean age of the patients at the time they received GA was 12.37±10.18 years. Dental procedures performed were mostly restorative in nature (47%). The >12 years group had significantly shorter treatment duration (p<0.05). No significant difference in post-operative recovery time was observed among the three age groups (p>0.05). The <6 years group received significantly less preventive, but more restorative procedures (p<0.05). Significantly fewer extractions were performed in the 6-12 years group (p<0.05). The use of composite restorations was significantly higher in the <6 years group; while amalgam restorations were more frequently used in the >12 years group (P<0.05). Stainless steel crowns were more frequently employed in SNP under 12 years of age (p<0.05). Intra-examiner reliability was good (k=0.94). Most of the dental procedures performed under GA on SNP were restorative procedures. For children less than 6 years of age, had longer treatment time under GA. Composite restorations and stainless steel crowns were more frequently used in the primary dentition and amalgam restorations were more frequently employed in the permanent dentition.

12 CFR 516.10 - How does OTS compute time periods under this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... APPLICATION PROCESSING PROCEDURES § 516.10 How does OTS compute time periods under this part? In computing time periods under this part, OTS does not include the day of the act or event that commences the time... 12 Banks and Banking 5 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false How does OTS compute time periods under this...

Improved long-term outcomes after resection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: a comparison between two time periods.

PubMed

Serrano, Pablo E; Cleary, Sean P; Dhani, Neesha; Kim, Peter T W; Greig, Paul D; Leung, Kenneth; Moulton, Carol-Anne; Gallinger, Steven; Wei, Alice C

2015-04-01

Despite reduced perioperative mortality and routine use of adjuvant therapy following pancreatectomy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), improvement in long-term outcome has been difficult to ascertain. This study compares outcomes in patients undergoing resection for PDAC within a single, high-volume academic institution over two sequential time periods. Retrospective review of patients with resected PDAC, in two cohorts: period 1 (P1), 1991-2000; and period 2 (P2), 2001-2010. Univariate and multivariate analyses using the Cox proportional hazards model were performed to determine prognostic factors associated with long-term survival. Survival was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analyses. A total of 179 pancreatectomies were performed during P1 and 310 during P2. Perioperative mortality was 6.7 % (12/179) in P1 and 1.6 % (5/310) in P2 (p = 0.003). P2 had a greater number of lymph nodes resected (17 [0-50] vs. 7 [0-31]; p < 0.001), and a higher lymph node positivity rate (69 % [215/310] vs. 58 % [104/179]; p = 0.021) compared with P1. The adjuvant therapy rate was 30 % (53/179) in P1 and 63 % (195/310) in P2 (p < 0.001). By multivariate analysis, node and margin status, tumor grade, adjuvant therapy, and time period of resection were independently associated with overall survival (OS) for both time periods. Median OS was 16 months (95 % confidence interval [CI] 14-20) in P1 and 27 months (95 % CI 24-30) in P2 (p < 0.001). Factors associated with improved long-term survival remain comparable over time. Short- and long-term survival for patients with resected PDAC has improved over time due to decreased perioperative mortality and increased use of adjuvant therapy, although the proportion of 5-year survivors remains small.

21 CFR 60.28 - Time frame for determining regulatory review periods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Time frame for determining regulatory review periods. 60.28 Section 60.28 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL PATENT TERM RESTORATION Regulatory Review Period Determinations § 60.28 Time frame for...

Periodic trim solutions with hp-version finite elements in time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Peters, David A.; Hou, Lin-Jun

1990-01-01

Finite elements in time as an alternative strategy for rotorcraft trim problems are studied. The research treats linear flap and linearized flap-lag response both for quasi-trim and trim cases. The connection between Fourier series analysis and hp-finite elements for periodic a problem is also examined. It is proved that Fourier series is a special case of space-time finite elements in which one element is used with a strong displacement formulation. Comparisons are made with respect to accuracy among Fourier analysis, displacement methods, and mixed methods over a variety parameters. The hp trade-off is studied for the periodic trim problem to provide an optimum step size and order of polynomial for a given error criteria. It is found that finite elements in time can outperform Fourier analysis for periodic problems, and for some given error criteria. The mixed method provides better results than does the displacement method.

Improving Self-Assembly by Varying the Temperature Periodically with Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raz, Oren; Jarzynski, Christopher

Self-assembly (SA) is the process by which basic components organize into a larger structure without external guidance. These processes are common in Nature, and also have technological applications, e.g. growing a crystal with a specific structure. So far, artificial SA processes have been designed mostly using diffusive building blocks with high specificity and directionality. The formation of the self-assembled structures is then driven by free-energy minimization into a thermodynamically stable state. In an alternative approach to SA, macroscopic parameters such as temperature, pressure, pH, magnetic field etc., are varied periodically with time. In this case, the SA structures are the stable periodic states of the driven system. Currently there are no design principles for periodically driven SA, other than in the limits of fast or weak driving. We present guiding ideas for self-assembly under periodic driving. As an example, we show a particular case in which self-assembly errors can be dramatically reduced by varying a system's temperature periodically with time. James S. McDonnell Foundation, and the US National Science Foundation: DMR-1506969.

Evolution of periodicity in periodical cicadas.

PubMed

Ito, Hiromu; Kakishima, Satoshi; Uehara, Takashi; Morita, Satoru; Koyama, Takuya; Sota, Teiji; Cooley, John R; Yoshimura, Jin

2015-09-14

Periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) in the USA are famous for their unique prime-numbered life cycles of 13 and 17 years and their nearly perfectly synchronized mass emergences. Because almost all known species of cicada are non-periodical, periodicity is assumed to be a derived state. A leading hypothesis for the evolution of periodicity in Magicicada implicates the decline in average temperature during glacial periods. During the evolution of periodicity, the determinant of maturation in ancestral cicadas is hypothesized to have switched from size dependence to time (period) dependence. The selection for the prime-numbered cycles should have taken place only after the fixation of periodicity. Here, we build an individual-based model of cicadas under conditions of climatic cooling to explore the fixation of periodicity. In our model, under cold environments, extremely long juvenile stages lead to extremely low adult densities, limiting mating opportunities and favouring the evolution of synchronized emergence. Our results indicate that these changes, which were triggered by glacial cooling, could have led to the fixation of periodicity in the non-periodical ancestors.

Evolution of periodicity in periodical cicadas

PubMed Central

Ito, Hiromu; Kakishima, Satoshi; Uehara, Takashi; Morita, Satoru; Koyama, Takuya; Sota, Teiji; Cooley, John R.; Yoshimura, Jin

2015-01-01

Periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) in the USA are famous for their unique prime-numbered life cycles of 13 and 17 years and their nearly perfectly synchronized mass emergences. Because almost all known species of cicada are non-periodical, periodicity is assumed to be a derived state. A leading hypothesis for the evolution of periodicity in Magicicada implicates the decline in average temperature during glacial periods. During the evolution of periodicity, the determinant of maturation in ancestral cicadas is hypothesized to have switched from size dependence to time (period) dependence. The selection for the prime-numbered cycles should have taken place only after the fixation of periodicity. Here, we build an individual-based model of cicadas under conditions of climatic cooling to explore the fixation of periodicity. In our model, under cold environments, extremely long juvenile stages lead to extremely low adult densities, limiting mating opportunities and favouring the evolution of synchronized emergence. Our results indicate that these changes, which were triggered by glacial cooling, could have led to the fixation of periodicity in the non-periodical ancestors. PMID:26365061

Smith predictor-based multiple periodic disturbance compensation for long dead-time processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Fang; Li, Han-Xiong; Shen, Ping

2018-05-01

Many disturbance rejection methods have been proposed for processes with dead-time, while these existing methods may not work well under multiple periodic disturbances. In this paper, a multiple periodic disturbance rejection is proposed under the Smith predictor configuration for processes with long dead-time. One feedback loop is added to compensate periodic disturbance while retaining the advantage of the Smith predictor. With information of the disturbance spectrum, the added feedback loop can remove multiple periodic disturbances effectively. The robust stability can be easily maintained through the rigorous analysis. Finally, simulation examples demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed method for processes with long dead-time.

13 CFR 134.103 - Rules applicable to time periods provided in this part.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Rules applicable to time periods provided in this part. (a) The day from which the time period is... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Rules applicable to time periods provided in this part. 134.103 Section 134.103 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION...

Customising turnaround time indicators to requesting clinician: a 10-year study through balanced scorecard indicators.

PubMed

Salinas, Maria; López-Garrigós, Maite; Santo-Quiles, Ana; Gutierrez, Mercedes; Lugo, Javier; Lillo, Rosa; Leiva-Salinas, Carlos

2014-09-01

The purpose of this study is, first to present a 10-year monitoring of postanalytical turnaround time (TAT) adapted to different clinicians and patient situations, second to evaluate and analyse the indicators results during that period of time, and finally to show a synthetic appropriate indicator to be included in the balanced scorecard management system. TAT indicator for routine samples was devised as the percentage of certain key tests that were verified before a specific time on the phlebotomy day. A weighted mean synthetic indicator was also designed. They were calculated for inpatients at 15:00 and 12:00 and for primary care patients only at 15:00. The troponin TAT of emergency department patients, calculated as the difference between the troponin verification and registration time, was selected as the stat laboratory TAT indicator. The routine and stat TAT improved along the 10-year study period. The synthetic indicator showed the same trend. The implementation of systematic and continuous monitoring over years, promoted a continuous improvement in TAT which will probably benefit patient outcome and safety.

Enhanced diffusion with abnormal temperature dependence in underdamped space-periodic systems subject to time-periodic driving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marchenko, I. G.; Marchenko, I. I.; Zhiglo, A. V.

2018-01-01

We present a study of the diffusion enhancement of underdamped Brownian particles in a one-dimensional symmetric space-periodic potential due to external symmetric time-periodic driving with zero mean. We show that the diffusivity can be enhanced by many orders of magnitude at an appropriate choice of the driving amplitude and frequency. The diffusivity demonstrates abnormal (decreasing) temperature dependence at the driving amplitudes exceeding a certain value. At any fixed driving frequency Ω normal temperature dependence of the diffusivity is restored at low enough temperatures, T time. At high frequencies, between Ω2 and a fraction of the oscillation frequency at the potential minimum, the diffusivity is shown to decrease with Ω according to a power law, with the exponent related to the transient superdiffusion exponent. This behavior is found similar for the cases of sinusoidal in time and piecewise constant periodic ("square") driving.

Solar wind variations in the 60-100 year period range: A review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feynman, J.

1983-01-01

The evidence for and against the reality of a solar wind variation in the period range of 60-100 years is reexamined. Six data sets are reviewed; sunspot numbers, geomagnetic variations, two auroral data sets and two (14)C data sets. These data are proxies for several different aspects of the solar wind and the presence or absence of 60-100 year cyclic behavior in a particular data set does not necessarily imply the presence or absence of this variation in other sets. It was concluded that two different analyses of proxy data for a particular characteristic of the heliospheric solar wind yielded conflicting results. This conflict can be resolved only by future research. It is also definitely confirmed that proxy data for the solar wind in the ecliptic at 1 A.U. undergo a periodic variation with a period of approximately 87 years. The average amplitude and phase of this variation as seen in eleven cycles of proxy data are presented.

Is it time to rebalance the case mix? A portfolio analysis of direct catheterization laboratory costs over a 5-year period.

PubMed

Plehn, Gunnar; Butz, Thomas; Maagh, Petra; Oernek, Ahmet; Meissner, Axel; Plehn, Natalie

2016-11-03

Cardiac catheterization laboratories (CLL) have continued to function as profit centers for hospitals. Due to a high percentage of material and labor costs, they are natural targets for process improvement. Our study applied a contribution margin (CBM) concept to evaluate costs and cost dynamics over a 5-year period. We retrospectively analyzed all procedures performed at a tertiary heart center between 2007 and 2011. Total variable costs, including labor time, material, and maintenance-expenses, were allocated at a global as well as a procedural level. CBM and CBM ratios were calculated by integration of individual DRG revenues. Annual case volume increased from 1288 to 1545. In parallel, overall profitability improved as indicated by a 2% increase in CBM ratio and a higher CBM generated per hour of CLL working time (4325 vs. 5892 €, p < 0.001). Coronary angiography generated higher average CBMs per hour than coronary or electrophysiological interventions (5831 vs. 3458 vs. 1495 €; p < 0.001). The latter are characterized by relatively high per case material expenditures. On a procedural level, DRG-specific trends as a steady improvement of examination time or an increase in material costs were detectable. The CBM concept allows a comprehensive analysis of CLL costs and cost dynamics. From a health service providers view, its range of application includes global profitability analysis, portfolio evaluation, and a detailed cost analysis of specific service lines. From a healthcare payers perspective, it may help to monitor hospital activities and to provide a solid data basis in cases where inappropriate developments are suspected. The calculation principle is simple which may increase user acceptance and thus the motivation of team members.

Change in Maternal Criticism and Behavior Problems in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Across a Seven-Year Period

PubMed Central

Baker, Jason K.; Smith, Leann E.; Greenberg, Jan S.; Seltzer, Marsha Mailick; Taylor, Julie Lounds

2010-01-01

In a previous study from our laboratory, high levels of maternal criticism predicted increased behavior problems in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) over an 18-month period (Greenberg, Seltzer, Hong, & Orsmond, 2006). The current investigation followed these families over a period of seven years to examine the longitudinal course of criticism and behavior problems, to assess the association between their trajectories, and to determine the degree to which change in each of these factors predicted levels of criticism and behavior problems at the end of the study period. A sample of 118 mothers co-residing with their adolescents and adults with ASD provided open-ended narratives about their children and reported on the children's behavior problems at four waves. Maternal criticism was derived from expressed emotion ratings of the narratives. Criticism exhibited low but significant stability over the seven year period and behavior problems exhibited high stability. Using latent growth curve modeling, (a) criticism was found to have increased over time, but only for the group of families in which the sons or daughters transitioned from high school services during the study period, (b) individual changes in criticism and behavior problems were positively correlated over the seven-year period, and (c) changes in criticism predicted levels of behavior problems at the conclusion of the study. Changes in behavior problems were not predictive of end levels of criticism. Implications for intervention and prevention efforts are discussed. PMID:21319925

Mimicking Nonequilibrium Steady States with Time-Periodic Driving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raz, Oren; Subasi, Yigit; Jarzynski, Christopher

Under static conditions, a system satisfying detailed balance generically relaxes to an equilibrium state in which there are no currents: to generate persistent currents, either detailed balance must be broken or the system must be driven in a time-dependent manner. A stationary system that violates detailed balance evolves to a nonequilibrium steady state (NESS) characterized by fixed currents. Conversely, a system that satisfies instantaneous detailed balance but is driven by the time-periodic variation of external parameters - also known as a stochastic pump (SP) - reaches a periodic state with non-vanishing currents. In both cases, these currents are maintained at the cost of entropy production. Are these two paradigmatic scenarios effectively equivalent? For discrete-state systems we establish a mapping between NESS and SP. Given a NESS characterized by a particular set of stationary probabilities, currents and entropy production rates, we show how to construct a SP with exactly the same (time-averaged) values. The mapping works in the opposite direction as well. These results establish a proof of principle: they show that SP are able to mimic the behavior of NESS, and vice-versa, within the theoretical framework of discrete-state stochastic thermodynamics.

Epidemiological and clinical features of leptospirosis in a highly endemic area over three time periods.

PubMed

Mišić-Majerus, Ljiljana; Habuš, Josipa; Štritof, Zrinka; Bujić, Nevenka; Mađarić, Vesna; Kolaric-Sviben, Gordana; Vince, Silvijo; Peršić, Zdenka; Turk, Nenad

2017-11-01

To present the features of human leptospirosis over three time periods (1970-1975; 2000-2005; 2010-2015), to compare the collected data and to determine whether the incidence, seasonal and spatial distribution, prevalence of presumptive infective serogroups and clinical features have changed over the last 50 years. Epidemiological and clinical data obtained from patients hospitalised and treated in a well-known endemic focus of leptospirosis, Koprivnica-Križevci County in Croatia, were analysed. We observed a steady decline in the overall incidence of leptospirosis and a change in the patient age distribution, with the age ratio changing in favour of middle-aged and older patients. Although leptospirosis was most frequently diagnosed in August in all time periods, the number of cases increased in autumn. The most prevalent serogroup during the first and the second time period was Icterohaemorrhagiae, while in the third time period, the serogroup Australis prevailed. We also noted an increase in the number of severe clinical manifestations. This retrospective research demonstrates a continuous decline in the incidence of human leptospirosis in Croatia. The pattern of disease has changed from predominantly mild clinical forms observed in children to more severe clinical forms observed in middle-aged to older patients, especially those working in agriculture. Additional epidemiological changes included an increase in the number of cases during the autumn months and changes in prevailing serogroups. Statistical analysis revealed a significant relationship between the severity of the clinical picture, patient age and presumed sources of infection. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Modeling 100,000-year climate fluctuations in pre-Pleistocene time series

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crowley, Thomas J.; Kim, Kwang-Yul; Mengel, John G.; Short, David A.

1992-01-01

A number of pre-Pleistocene climate records exhibit significant fluctuations at the 100,000-year (100-ky) eccentricity period, before the time of such fluctuations in global ice volume. The origin of these fluctuations has been obscure. Results reported here from a modeling study suggest that such a response can occur over low-altitude land areas involved in monsoon fluctuations. The twice yearly passage of the sun across the equator and the seasonal timing of perihelion interact to increase both 100-ky and 400-ky power in the modeled temperature field. The magnitude of the temperature response is sufficiently large to leave an imprint on the geologic record, and simulated fluctuations resemble those found in records of Triassic lake levels.

Dynamo Induced by Time-periodic Force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Xing

2018-03-01

To understand the dynamo driven by time-dependent flow, e.g., turbulence, we investigate numerically the dynamo induced by time-periodic force in rotating magnetohydrodynamic flow and focus on the effect of force frequency on the dynamo action. It is found that the dynamo action depends on the force frequency. When the force frequency is near resonance the force can drive dynamo, but when it is far away from resonance dynamo fails. In the frequency range near resonance to support dynamo, the force frequency at resonance induces a weak magnetic field and magnetic energy increases as the force frequency deviates from the resonant frequency. This is opposite to the intuition that a strong flow at resonance will induce a strong field. It is because magnetic field nonlinearly couples with fluid flow in the self-sustained dynamo and changes the resonance of driving force and inertial wave.

Erosion of mountain hiking trail over a seven-year period in Daisetsuzan National Park, central Hokkaido, Japan

Treesearch

Akemi Yoda; Teiji Watanabe

2000-01-01

Erosion of mountain hiking trails was investigated in Daisetsuzan National Park over a seven-year period. The amount and rate of erosion were different in the two typical landscape components. Cross-section diagrams revealed that trail depth became deeper in snowy vegetated areas than in wind-beaten bare ground areas. The existence and timing of runoff from snowmelt...

Case Study: Body Composition Periodization in an Olympic-Level Female Middle-Distance Runner Over a 9-Year Career.

PubMed

Stellingwerff, Trent

2018-05-25

This case study features an Olympic-level female middle-distance runner implementing a science-based approach to body composition periodization. Data are emerging to suggest that it is not sustainable from a health and/or performance perspective to be at peak body composition year-round, so body composition needs to be strategically periodized. Anthropometric (n = 44), hematological, other health measures, and 1,500-m race performances (n = 83) were periodically assessed throughout a 9-year career. General preparation phase (September to April) featured the athlete at ∼2-4% over ideal competition phase body weight (BW) and body fat (%), with optimal energy availability being prioritized. The competition body composition optimization phase (May to August) included creating an individualized time frame and caloric deficit with various feedback metrics (BW, performance, and hunger) to guide the process. There were significant seasonal fluctuations in anthropometric outcomes between phases (47.3 ± 0.8 vs. 48.3 ± 0.9 kg BW; 53.6 ± 7.8 vs. 61.6 ± 9.7 mm International Society for the Advancement of Kinanthropometry sum of 8 [So8] skinfolds; p < .01), and a significant correlation of decreasing So8 during the peak competition period over her career (r = -.838; p = .018). The range of body composition during the competition period was 46.0-48.0 kg BW and a So8 range was 42.0-55.9 mm. There were also significant positive correlations between slower 1,500-m race times and increasing So8 (r = .437; p < .01), estimated fat mass (r = .445; p < .01), and BW (r = .511; p < .0001). The athlete only had two career injuries. This case study demonstrates a body composition periodization approach that allowed for targeted peak yearly performances, which improved throughout her career, while maximizing training adaptation and long-term athlete health through optimal energy availability.

Oceanic crustal carbon cycle drives 26-million-year atmospheric carbon dioxide periodicities.

PubMed

Müller, R Dietmar; Dutkiewicz, Adriana

2018-02-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) data for the last 420 million years (My) show long-term fluctuations related to supercontinent cycles as well as shorter cycles at 26 to 32 My whose origin is unknown. Periodicities of 26 to 30 My occur in diverse geological phenomena including mass extinctions, flood basalt volcanism, ocean anoxic events, deposition of massive evaporites, sequence boundaries, and orogenic events and have previously been linked to an extraterrestrial mechanism. The vast oceanic crustal carbon reservoir is an alternative potential driving force of climate fluctuations at these time scales, with hydrothermal crustal carbon uptake occurring mostly in young crust with a strong dependence on ocean bottom water temperature. We combine a global plate model and oceanic paleo-age grids with estimates of paleo-ocean bottom water temperatures to track the evolution of the oceanic crustal carbon reservoir over the past 230 My. We show that seafloor spreading rates as well as the storage, subduction, and emission of oceanic crustal and mantle CO 2 fluctuate with a period of 26 My. A connection with seafloor spreading rates and equivalent cycles in subduction zone rollback suggests that these periodicities are driven by the dynamics of subduction zone migration. The oceanic crust-mantle carbon cycle is thus a previously overlooked mechanism that connects plate tectonic pulsing with fluctuations in atmospheric carbon and surface environments.

Oceanic crustal carbon cycle drives 26-million-year atmospheric carbon dioxide periodicities

PubMed Central

Müller, R. Dietmar; Dutkiewicz, Adriana

2018-01-01

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) data for the last 420 million years (My) show long-term fluctuations related to supercontinent cycles as well as shorter cycles at 26 to 32 My whose origin is unknown. Periodicities of 26 to 30 My occur in diverse geological phenomena including mass extinctions, flood basalt volcanism, ocean anoxic events, deposition of massive evaporites, sequence boundaries, and orogenic events and have previously been linked to an extraterrestrial mechanism. The vast oceanic crustal carbon reservoir is an alternative potential driving force of climate fluctuations at these time scales, with hydrothermal crustal carbon uptake occurring mostly in young crust with a strong dependence on ocean bottom water temperature. We combine a global plate model and oceanic paleo-age grids with estimates of paleo-ocean bottom water temperatures to track the evolution of the oceanic crustal carbon reservoir over the past 230 My. We show that seafloor spreading rates as well as the storage, subduction, and emission of oceanic crustal and mantle CO2 fluctuate with a period of 26 My. A connection with seafloor spreading rates and equivalent cycles in subduction zone rollback suggests that these periodicities are driven by the dynamics of subduction zone migration. The oceanic crust-mantle carbon cycle is thus a previously overlooked mechanism that connects plate tectonic pulsing with fluctuations in atmospheric carbon and surface environments. PMID:29457135

Towards the computation of time-periodic inertial range dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Veen, L.; Vela-Martín, A.; Kawahara, G.

2018-04-01

We explore the possibility of computing simple invariant solutions, like travelling waves or periodic orbits, in Large Eddy Simulation (LES) on a periodic domain with constant external forcing. The absence of material boundaries and the simple forcing mechanism make this system a comparatively simple target for the study of turbulent dynamics through invariant solutions. We show, that in spite of the application of eddy viscosity the computations are still rather challenging and must be performed on GPU cards rather than conventional coupled CPUs. We investigate the onset of turbulence in this system by means of bifurcation analysis, and present a long-period, large-amplitude unstable periodic orbit that is filtered from a turbulent time series. Although this orbit is computed on a coarse grid, with only a small separation between the integral scale and the LES filter length, the periodic dynamics seem to capture a regeneration process of the large-scale vortices.

A statistical forecast model using the time-scale decomposition technique to predict rainfall during flood period over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Yijia; Zhong, Zhong; Zhu, Yimin; Ha, Yao

2018-04-01

In this paper, a statistical forecast model using the time-scale decomposition method is established to do the seasonal prediction of the rainfall during flood period (FPR) over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Valley (MLYRV). This method decomposites the rainfall over the MLYRV into three time-scale components, namely, the interannual component with the period less than 8 years, the interdecadal component with the period from 8 to 30 years, and the interdecadal component with the period larger than 30 years. Then, the predictors are selected for the three time-scale components of FPR through the correlation analysis. At last, a statistical forecast model is established using the multiple linear regression technique to predict the three time-scale components of the FPR, respectively. The results show that this forecast model can capture the interannual and interdecadal variation of FPR. The hindcast of FPR during 14 years from 2001 to 2014 shows that the FPR can be predicted successfully in 11 out of the 14 years. This forecast model performs better than the model using traditional scheme without time-scale decomposition. Therefore, the statistical forecast model using the time-scale decomposition technique has good skills and application value in the operational prediction of FPR over the MLYRV.

Evidence for Periodicity in 43 year-long Monitoring of NGC 5548

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bon, E.; Zucker, S.; Netzer, H.; Marziani, P.; Bon, N.; Jovanović, P.; Shapovalova, A. I.; Komossa, S.; Gaskell, C. M.; Popović, L. Č.; Britzen, S.; Chavushyan, V. H.; Burenkov, A. N.; Sergeev, S.; La Mura, G.; Valdés, J. R.; Stalevski, M.

2016-08-01

We present an analysis of 43 years (1972 to 2015) of spectroscopic observations of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 5548. This includes 12 years of new unpublished observations (2003 to 2015). We compiled about 1600 Hβ spectra and analyzed the long-term spectral variations of the 5100 Å continuum and the Hβ line. Our analysis is based on standard procedures, including the Lomb-Scargle method, which is known to be rather limited to such heterogeneous data sets, and a new method developed specifically for this project that is more robust and reveals a ˜5700 day periodicity in the continuum light curve, the Hβ light curve, and the radial velocity curve of the red wing of the Hβ line. The data are consistent with orbital motion inside the broad emission line region of the source. We discuss several possible mechanisms that can explain this periodicity, including orbiting dusty and dust-free clouds, a binary black hole system, tidal disruption events, and the effect of an orbiting star periodically passing through an accretion disk.

Scheduling real-time, periodic jobs using imprecise results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Jane W. S.; Lin, Kwei-Jay; Natarajan, Swaminathan

1987-01-01

A process is called a monotone process if the accuracy of its intermediate results is non-decreasing as more time is spent to obtain the result. The result produced by a monotone process upon its normal termination is the desired result; the error in this result is zero. External events such as timeouts or crashes may cause the process to terminate prematurely. If the intermediate result produced by the process upon its premature termination is saved and made available, the application may still find the result unusable and, hence, acceptable; such a result is said to be an imprecise one. The error in an imprecise result is nonzero. The problem of scheduling periodic jobs to meet deadlines on a system that provides the necessary programming language primitives and run-time support for processes to return imprecise results is discussed. This problem differs from the traditional scheduling problems since the scheduler may choose to terminate a task before it is completed, causing it to produce an acceptable but imprecise result. Consequently, the amounts of processor time assigned to tasks in a valid schedule can be less than the amounts of time required to complete the tasks. A meaningful formulation of this problem taking into account the quality of the overall result is discussed. Three algorithms for scheduling jobs for which the effects of errors in results produced in different periods are not cumulative are described, and their relative merits are evaluated.

Mimicking Nonequilibrium Steady States with Time-Periodic Driving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raz, O.; Subaşı, Y.; Jarzynski, C.

2016-04-01

Under static conditions, a system satisfying detailed balance generically relaxes to an equilibrium state in which there are no currents. To generate persistent currents, either detailed balance must be broken or the system must be driven in a time-dependent manner. A stationary system that violates detailed balance evolves to a nonequilibrium steady state (NESS) characterized by fixed currents. Conversely, a system that satisfies instantaneous detailed balance but is driven by the time-periodic variation of external parameters—also known as a stochastic pump (SP)—reaches a periodic state with nonvanishing currents. In both cases, these currents are maintained at the cost of entropy production. Are these two paradigmatic scenarios effectively equivalent? For discrete-state systems, we establish a mapping between nonequilibrium stationary states and stochastic pumps. Given a NESS characterized by a particular set of stationary probabilities, currents, and entropy production rates, we show how to construct a SP with exactly the same (time-averaged) values. The mapping works in the opposite direction as well. These results establish a proof of principle: They show that stochastic pumps are able to mimic the behavior of nonequilibrium steady states, and vice versa, within the theoretical framework of discrete-state stochastic thermodynamics. Nonequilibrium steady states and stochastic pumps are often used to model, respectively, biomolecular motors driven by chemical reactions and artificial molecular machines steered by the variation of external, macroscopic parameters. Our results loosely suggest that anything a biomolecular machine can do, an artificial molecular machine can do equally well. We illustrate this principle by showing that kinetic proofreading, a NESS mechanism that explains the low error rates in biochemical reactions, can be effectively mimicked by a constrained periodic driving.

Using travel times to simulate multi-dimensional bioreactive transport in time-periodic flows.

PubMed

Sanz-Prat, Alicia; Lu, Chuanhe; Finkel, Michael; Cirpka, Olaf A

2016-04-01

In travel-time models, the spatially explicit description of reactive transport is replaced by associating reactive-species concentrations with the travel time or groundwater age at all locations. These models have been shown adequate for reactive transport in river-bank filtration under steady-state flow conditions. Dynamic hydrological conditions, however, can lead to fluctuations of infiltration velocities, putting the validity of travel-time models into question. In transient flow, the local travel-time distributions change with time. We show that a modified version of travel-time based reactive transport models is valid if only the magnitude of the velocity fluctuates, whereas its spatial orientation remains constant. We simulate nonlinear, one-dimensional, bioreactive transport involving oxygen, nitrate, dissolved organic carbon, aerobic and denitrifying bacteria, considering periodic fluctuations of velocity. These fluctuations make the bioreactive system pulsate: The aerobic zone decreases at times of low velocity and increases at those of high velocity. For the case of diurnal fluctuations, the biomass concentrations cannot follow the hydrological fluctuations and a transition zone containing both aerobic and obligatory denitrifying bacteria is established, whereas a clear separation of the two types of bacteria prevails in the case of seasonal velocity fluctuations. We map the 1-D results to a heterogeneous, two-dimensional domain by means of the mean groundwater age for steady-state flow in both domains. The mapped results are compared to simulation results of spatially explicit, two-dimensional, advective-dispersive-bioreactive transport subject to the same relative fluctuations of velocity as in the one-dimensional model. The agreement between the mapped 1-D and the explicit 2-D results is excellent. We conclude that travel-time models of nonlinear bioreactive transport are adequate in systems of time-periodic flow if the flow direction does not change

Early Adolescence: Celestial Meetings - Synodic Periods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Science and Children, 1985

1985-01-01

Rather than memorize numbers for sidereal periods of planets (time to orbit the sun), students can learn to determine these times through simple calculations. Comparison of a planet's synodic period to earth's year of 365 days is made, then multiplication to derive a full circle of 360 degrees establishes the sidereal period. (DH)

Time Periods of Unusual Density Behavior Observed by GRACE and CHAMP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McLaughlin, C. A.; Fattig, E.; Mysore Krishna, D.; Locke, T.; Mehta, P. M.

2011-12-01

Time periods of low cross correlation between precision orbit ephemeris (POE) derived density and accelerometer density for CHAMP and GRACE are examined. In particular, the cross correlation for GRACE dropped from typical values near 0.9 to much lower values and then returned to typical over the time period of late October to late December of 2005. This time period includes a maneuver where GRACE-A and GRACE-B swapped positions. However, the drop in cross correlation begins and reaches its low point before the maneuvers begin. In addition, the densities were found using GRACE-A, but GRACE-B did most of the maneuvering. The time period is characterized by high frequency variations in accelerometer density of the same magnitude as the daylight to eclipse variations over the course of an orbit. However, the daylight to eclipse variations are particularly small during this time period because the orbit plane is near the terminator. Additionally, the difference between the accelerometer and POE derived densities are not unusually large during this time period. This implies the variations are not unusual, just more significant when the orbit plane is near terminator. Cyclical variations in correlation of the POE derived densities with accelerometer derived densities are seen for both GRACE and CHAMP, but the magnitude of the variations are much larger for GRACE, possibly because of the higher altitude of GRACE. The cycles seem to be phased so that low correlations occur with low beta angle when the orbit plane is near the terminator. The low correlation is possibly caused by the lower amplitude of the daylight to eclipse signal making higher frequency variations relatively more important. However, another possible explanation is terminator waves in density that propagate to the thermosphere from lower in the atmosphere. These waves have been observed in CHAMP accelerometer data and global circulation model simulations. Further investigation is needed to see if the

The frequency of fragrance allergy in a patch-test population over a 17-year period.

PubMed

Buckley, D A; Wakelin, S H; Seed, P T; Holloway, D; Rycroft, R J; White, I R; McFadden, J P

2000-02-01

Fragrances are widely encountered in our daily environment and are known to be a common cause of allergic contact dermatitis. We have reviewed our patch test data from 1980 to 1996 to establish whether the pattern of fragrance allergy has changed with time. During this period, 25,545 patients (10,450 male, 15,005 female) were patch tested with the European standard series. The mean annual frequency of positive reactions to the fragrance mix was 8.5% in females (range 6.1-10.9) and 6.7% in males (range 5.1-12.9). Females were 1.3 times more likely to be allergic to fragrance (P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.17-1.41). Males with fragrance allergy were older than females by 5.6 years (mean age 48.2 vs. 42.6 years; P < 0.001, 95% CI 3.9-7.3). The incidence of a concomitant positive patch test to balsam of Peru in fragrance-sensitive patients showed wide variation, suggesting that it is not a reliable marker of fragrance allergy. There was a positive correlation between the isomers isoeugenol and eugenol. Oak moss remained the most common overall allergen throughout the study, positive in 38.3% of females and 35.6% of males who were tested to the constituents of the fragrance mix. During the period of the study the incidence of positive tests to oak moss increased by 5% yearly (P = 0.001, 95% CI 2.2-8.7). The frequency of allergic reactions to eugenol and geraniol remained relatively constant. Isoeugenol and alpha-amyl cinnamic aldehyde sensitivity increased and hydroxycitronellal showed a slow decline. There was a striking reduction in the frequency of sensitivity to cinnamic aldehyde (by 18% yearly; P < 0.001, 95% CI 14.3-21.0) and cinnamic alcohol (by 9% yearly; P < 0.001, 95% CI 5.2-12.9); these are now uncommon fragrance allergens. These data show temporal trends which may reflect the frequency of population exposure to individual fragrances.

[Study of incidence of osteoporotic fractures in a cohort of individuals older than 50 years from Asturias, Spain, after a 6 year follow-up period].

PubMed

Naves Díaz, M; Díaz López, J B; Gómez Alonso, C; Altadill Arregui, A; Rodríguez Rebollar, A; Cannata Andía, J B

2000-11-18

The present work, performed as follow-up of the prevalence study of vertebral fractures (EVOS Study), evaluates in a 6 year period the incidence of vertebral fractures and other osteoporotic fractures in Oviedo (Asturias, Spain) in people older than 50 years. The study was performed in a cohort from the Oviedo's local registry in 1986. 624 men and women were followed by 3 postal questionnaires. The first questionnaire referred to the history of falls and fractures that happened during the follow-up period performed. Between the 2nd and 3rd follow-up subjects were invited to repeat the X-rays previously performed in the initial study. The incidence of osteoporotic fractures was higher in women than in men. In both sexes, vertebral fracture was the one which reached the highest incidence. Compared with men, Colles' fracture in women occurred earlier, with 5 times higher incidence. The incidence of hip fracture was twice higher in women than in men. A prevalent vertebral fractures increased until 5 times the incidence of vertebral and hip fracture. Among the osteoporotic fractures, vertebral fracture had a highest incidence values in both sexes. Although vertebral and hip fractures were twice incident in women compared with men, the incidence of Colles fracture was five times higher in women. A pre-existing vertebral fracture is an important risk factor to develop a new vertebral or hip fracture.

Detecting unstable periodic orbits in chaotic time series using synchronization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olyaei, Ali Azimi; Wu, Christine; Kinsner, Witold

2017-07-01

An alternative approach of detecting unstable periodic orbits in chaotic time series is proposed using synchronization techniques. A master-slave synchronization scheme is developed, in which the chaotic system drives a system of harmonic oscillators through a proper coupling condition. The proposed scheme is designed so that the power of the coupling signal exhibits notches that drop to zero once the system approaches an unstable orbit yielding an explicit indication of the presence of a periodic motion. The results shows that the proposed approach is particularly suitable in practical situations, where the time series is short and noisy, or it is obtained from high-dimensional chaotic systems.

Cruise design for a 5-year period of the 50-year timber sales in Alaska.

Treesearch

John W. Hazard

1985-01-01

Sampling rules and estimation procedures are described for a new cruise design that was developed for 50-year timber sales in Alaska. An example is given of the rate redetermination cruise and analysis for the 1984-1989 period of the Ketchikan Pulp Company sale. In addition, methodology is presented for an alternative sampling technique of sampling with probability...

Comparison of Characteristics of Patients Undergoing Heart Transplantation at the Same Hospital in Two Different Time Periods (1997-2012 and 2013-2015).

PubMed

Roberts, William C; Won, Vera S; Vasudevan, Anupama; Kapoor, Pranav; Ko, Jong Mi; Meyer, Dan M; Hall, Shelley A; Gonzalez-Stawinski, Gonzalo V

2016-07-15

Heart transplantation (HT) increases at some centers each year and decreases at others. We examined characteristics of patients having HT at the same hospital in 2 different time periods (1997-2012 and 2013-2015) by 2 different surgical groups. We compared certain clinical and morphological finding in 291 patients having HT 1997 to 2012 to finding in 228 other patients having HT from 2013 to 2015. Several significant (p <0.05) differences were found: in the most recent time period (2013-2015) compared to the earlier time period (1997-2012), the mean ages of the men were older (57 years -vs- 55 years); diabetes mellitus was more frequent (37% -vs- 21%); systemic hypertension (by history) was more frequent (59% -vs- 32%); the mean body mass index was higher (29.2 kg/m(2) -vs- 26.5 kg/m(2)), and mean heart weight was lower in both men (509 g -vs- 549 g) and women (422 g -vs- 454 g). There were insignificant (p >0.05) differences in gender, frequency of massive cardiac adiposity, underlying cardiac condition, frequency of coronary heart disease, and frequency of previous insertion of a left ventricular assist device. In conclusion, certain characteristics of patients having HT at one Texas hospital changed in several respects in 2 time periods corresponding to changes in surgeons doing the HTs. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Structure and dating errors in the geologic time scale and periodicity in mass extinctions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stothers, Richard B.

1989-01-01

Structure in the geologic time scale reflects a partly paleontological origin. As a result, ages of Cenozoic and Mesozoic stage boundaries exhibit a weak 28-Myr periodicity that is similar to the strong 26-Myr periodicity detected in mass extinctions of marine life by Raup and Sepkoski. Radiometric dating errors in the geologic time scale, to which the mass extinctions are stratigraphically tied, do not necessarily lessen the likelihood of a significant periodicity in mass extinctions, but do spread the acceptable values of the period over the range 25-27 Myr for the Harland et al. time scale or 25-30 Myr for the DNAG time scale. If the Odin time scale is adopted, acceptable periods fall between 24 and 33 Myr, but are not robust against dating errors. Some indirect evidence from independently-dated flood-basalt volcanic horizons tends to favor the Odin time scale.

Linkages of periodic climatic and social-economic changes in China during the past 2000 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Xiuqi; Su, Yu; Yin, Jun; Wei, Zhudeng

2016-04-01

Impacts of climate change on rise and fall of human civilization in the history could provide lessons for understanding how impacts of climatic change and human response interacted. However, such a study is highly restricted by lacking in high-resolution series concerning long-term social-economic processes. China is a country that has great potential for providing long-term socio-economic series in high-resolution because it has abundant related historical records as long as thousands of years in the Chinese historical literatures. In this paper, A methodology named Semantic Differential for quantifying historical literal descriptions to grade numbers is developed. Using the methodology, 10-year resolution graded series of social-economic system change of China, including harvest of agriculture, economy, social rise and fall, are reconstructed during the past 2000 years. To compare the periodic changes of climate, harvest, economy, social rise and fall in China during the past 2000 years, it is found that : (1) There are similar periods on multiple time scales among all the series. (2) On the centurial scale, the better economic and social phases generally occurred in the better harvest phases when generally had a warm climate. (3) In the warm phases, both economic and social status were recovered faster and flourished longer than that in the cold phases. (4) The direct impact of climatic change on food security could be enlarged or diminished when it transmitted from harvest I to other social-economic subsystems because of feedbacks of the system.

First-Year Chemistry in the Context of the Periodic Table.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woodgate, Sheila D.

1995-01-01

Describes the methods that have been developed to blend descriptive chemistry and principles in a first-year chemistry course. The key is active teaching of the subject using the periodic table as a template. Inorganic chemistry is taught using a group approach: developing trends that help teaching and learning become obvious if all elements of…

Twenty Five Years of Cognitive Care Education Research: Time for a Revolutionary Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Russell; Berry, Jeremy; Cude, Kellie; Anderson, Stephen; Britt, Sanfrena

2018-01-01

This is the third study of Cognitive Care Education in New York State nursing homes using cross-sectional methods over a 25 year period. The data indicate that the Cognitive Care Education increased at statistically significant levels, albeit by evolutionary means. It is now time for "A Revolutionary Change," for Cognitive Care…

Time functions of deep earthquakes from broadband and short-period stacks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Houston, H.; Benz, H.M.; Vidale, J.E.

1998-01-01

To constrain dynamic source properties of deep earthquakes, we have systematically constructed broadband time functions of deep earthquakes by stacking and scaling teleseismic P waves from U.S. National Seismic Network, TERRAscope, and Berkeley Digital Seismic Network broadband stations. We examined 42 earthquakes with depths from 100 to 660 km that occurred between July 1, 1992 and July 31, 1995. To directly compare time functions, or to group them by size, depth, or region, it is essential to scale them to remove the effect of moment, which varies by more than 3 orders of magnitude for these events. For each event we also computed short-period stacks of P waves recorded by west coast regional arrays. The comparison of broadband with short-period stacks yields a considerable advantage, enabling more reliable measurement of event duration. A more accurate estimate of the duration better constrains the scaling procedure to remove the effect of moment, producing scaled time functions with both correct timing and amplitude. We find only subtle differences in the broadband time-function shape with moment, indicating successful scaling and minimal effects of attenuation at the periods considered here. The average shape of the envelopes of the short-period stacks is very similar to the average broadband time function. The main variations seen with depth are (1) a mild decrease in duration with increasing depth, (2) greater asymmetry in the time functions of intermediate events compared to deep ones, and (3) unexpected complexity and late moment release for events between 350 and 550 km, with seven of the eight events in that depth interval displaying markedly more complicated time functions with more moment release late in the rupture than most events above or below. The first two results are broadly consistent with our previous studies, while the third is reported here for the first time. The greater complexity between 350 and 550 km suggests greater heterogeneity in

Periodic extinction of families and genera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Raup, D. M.; Sepkoski, J. J. Jr; Sepkoski JJ, J. r. (Principal Investigator)

1986-01-01

Eight major episodes of biological extinction of marine families over the past 250 million years stand significantly above local background (P < 0.05). These events are more pronounced when analyzed at the level of genus, and generic data exhibit additional apparent extinction events in the Aptian (Cretaceous) and Pliocene (Tertiary) Stages. Time-series analysis of these records strongly suggests a 26-million-year periodicity. This conclusion is robust even when adjusted for simultaneous testing of many trial periods. When the time series is limited to the four best-dated events (Cenomanian, Maestrichtian, upper Eocene, and middle Miocene), the hypothesis of randomness is also rejected for the 26-million-year period (P < 0.0002).

Stable expression and phenotypic impact of attacin E transgene in orchard grown apple trees over a 12 year period.

PubMed

Borejsza-Wysocka, Ewa; Norelli, John L; Aldwinckle, Herb S; Malnoy, Mickael

2010-06-03

Transgenic trees currently are being produced by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and biolistics. The future use of transformed trees on a commercial basis depends upon thorough evaluation of the potential environmental and public health risk of the modified plants, transgene stability over a prolonged period of time and the effect of the gene on tree and fruit characteristics. We studied the stability of expression and the effect on resistance to the fire blight disease of the lytic protein gene, attacin E, in the apple cultivar 'Galaxy' grown in the field for 12 years. Using Southern and western blot analysis, we compared transgene copy number and observed stability of expression of this gene in the leaves and fruit in several transformed lines during a 12 year period. No silenced transgenic plant was detected. Also the expression of this gene resulted in an increase in resistance to fire blight throughout 12 years of orchard trial and did not affect fruit shape, size, acidity, firmness, weight or sugar level, tree morphology, leaf shape or flower morphology or color compared to the control. Overall, these results suggest that transgene expression in perennial species, such as fruit trees, remains stable in time and space, over extended periods and in different organs. This report shows that it is possible to improve a desirable trait in apple, such as the resistance to a pathogen, through genetic engineering, without adverse alteration of fruit characteristics and tree shape.

50 CFR 221.3 - How are time periods computed?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 9 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false How are time periods computed? 221.3 Section 221.3 Wildlife and Fisheries NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MARINE MAMMALS PRESCRIPTIONS IN FERC HYDROPOWER LICENSES General...

50 CFR 221.3 - How are time periods computed?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 10 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false How are time periods computed? 221.3 Section 221.3 Wildlife and Fisheries NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE MARINE MAMMALS PRESCRIPTIONS IN FERC HYDROPOWER LICENSES General...

Clinical epidemiology of ulcerative colitis in Mexico: a single hospital-based study in a 20-year period (1987-2006).

PubMed

Yamamoto-Furusho, Jesús K

2009-03-01

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic disease with a heterogeneous clinical evolution. The prevalence and incidence of UC vary widely and depend on multiple factors including ethnicity and geographic location. To determine the frequency of new cases of UC and their clinical characteristics in a large cohort from a referral hospital in Mexico City. Patients with confirmed diagnosis of UC were included during a period between January 1987 and December 2006. Demographic and clinical data were collected from medical records. A total of 848 new cases of UC were diagnosed during a 20-year period. All the patients had endoscopic and histologic confirmation. The mean of annual new UC cases increased from 28.8 in the first period (1987 to 1996) to 76.1 in the second period (1997 to 2006) (P<0.00008). The incidence of new cases increased 2.6-fold comparing both periods of time. This study consisted of 467 females and 382 males, with a mean age at diagnosis of 31.3+/-12.3 years. The clinical manifestations were pancolitis (59.1%), and extraintestinal manifestations (41.5%). Most of the patients, 762 (89.8%) were taking sulfasalazine or 5-aminosalicylic acid, 282 (33.3%) used oral or systemic steroids, 237 (28%) were taking azathioprine. The frequency of new UC cases has increased significantly in the last 10 years in Mexico, largely due to the unique genetic make-up and the environmental factors (infectious diseases including parasites) not found in other countries.

Survival of ovarian cancer patients in Denmark: excess mortality risk analysis of five-year relative survival in the period 1978-2002.

PubMed

Hannibal, Charlotte Gerd; Cortes, Rikke; Engholm, Gerda; Kjaer, Susanne Krüger

2008-01-01

To explore the variation in ovarian cancer survival in Denmark in the period 1978-2002 in relation to time since diagnosis, age at diagnosis, period of diagnosis, stage and histology. Register-based cohort study. Denmark in the period 1978-2002. Using the nationwide Danish Cancer Registry, we included a total of 13,035 women diagnosed with invasive ovarian cancer in Denmark in the period 1978-2002. Excess mortality risk analyses of five-year relative survival of ovarian cancer patients diagnosed in the period 1978-2002 with follow-up through 2006 were made based on data from the NORDCAN database. Five-year relative survival, excess mortality rate (ER) and relative excess mortality risk (RER) after an ovarian cancer diagnosis. The relative survival of Danish ovarian cancer patients slightly increased in the period 1978-2002. The ERs were highest in the first year following diagnosis, in particular in the first three months, and among older patients, even for localized and regional tumors. The pattern remained the same when stratified by histological subgroup. Older age at diagnosis, earlier period of diagnosis, more advanced stage at diagnosis and being diagnosed with undifferentiated carcinoma predicted poorer survival among Danish ovarian cancer patients diagnosed in the period 1978-2002. The survival of Danish ovarian cancer patients has slightly increased from 1978 through 2002. Despite this, the mortality rate of ovarian cancer in Denmark is still higher than in the other Nordic countries. Explanations for these differences are still to be identified.

Survival period after tube feeding in bedridden older patients.

PubMed

Kosaka, Yoichi; Nakagawa-Satoh, Takuma; Ohrui, Takashi; Fujii, Masahiko; Arai, Hiroyuki; Sasaki, Hidetada

2012-04-01

We prospectively studied survival periods after tube feeding. Participants were 163 bedridden older patients suffering from dysphagia. A wide range of survival periods after tube feeding were observed within half a year without tube feeding after being bedridden. After this initial period, survival periods after tube feeding were limited to approximately half a year. Survival periods after tube feeding were positively proportional to the length of time patients were free from pneumonia after tube feeding. After tube feeding, patients died from pneumonia within half a year, and the frequency of pneumonia was 3.1 ± 2.7 times (mean ± SD) before death. Survival periods after tube feeding for less than 1 year were primarily determined by being bedridden for more than half a year without tube feeding and once pneumonia occurred; patients who were tube fed did not survive for more than half a year. © 2012 Japan Geriatrics Society.

Existence of time-periodic weak solutions to the stochastic Navier-Stokes equations around a moving body

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Feng, E-mail: chenfengmath@163.com, E-mail: hanyc@jlu.edu.cn; Han, Yuecai, E-mail: chenfengmath@163.com, E-mail: hanyc@jlu.edu.cn

2013-12-15

The existence of time-periodic stochastic motions of an incompressible fluid is obtained. Here the fluid is subject to a time-periodic body force and an additional time-periodic stochastic force that is produced by a rigid body moves periodically stochastically with the same period in the fluid.

Asthma hospitalization trends in Charleston, South Carolina, 1956 to 1997: twenty-fold increase among black children during a 30-year period.

PubMed

Crater, D D; Heise, S; Perzanowski, M; Herbert, R; Morse, C G; Hulsey, T C; Platts-Mills, T

2001-12-01

The increase in asthma prevalence has been documented worldwide, affecting many races living in many different climates. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the most striking prevalence and morbidity of asthma in the United States has been in black children, but little research has determined the scale of the increase, or specifically when the disease became severe in this group. This study sought to determine exactly when the rise in asthma hospitalizations among black patients began and what the pattern of asthma hospitalizations has been in different races and age groups over a 40-year period in 1 urban area. A retrospective chart review of discharges from the Medical University of South Carolina was conducted from 1956 to 1997. Charts with the primary discharge diagnosis of asthma were examined for discharge date, race, and age group (0- to 4-year-olds, 5- to 18-year-olds, 19- to 50-year-olds, > or =51-year-olds). The diagnostic codes used were based on the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-6, 1956-1957; ICD-7, 1958-1967; ICD-8, 1968-1978; and ICD-9, 1979-1997. Over the period studied, this hospital was the primary inpatient provider for children in this area, and the only provider for uninsured children. Between 1960 and 1990, the racial makeup of the area remained stable, as did the percentage of blacks living at the poverty level. The raw number of asthma discharges, rate per 10 000 discharges of the same race, and rate per 100 000 population in Charleston County were tabulated for each age group and racial category. Over the time period examined, there has been a progressive increase in asthma hospitalizations in black individuals of all age groups and in whites under 18 years. The most striking increase has been in black children 0 to 18 years old (figure). The increase either as raw values or as a rate per 100 000 began around 1970, and was linear. This increase in black children discharged with asthma as a rate per 100 000 population was

Time trend tendency (1988-2014 years) of organochlorine pesticide levels in the adipose tissue of Veracruz inhabitants.

PubMed

Calderón-Garcidueñas, Ana Laura; Waliszewski, Stefan M; Ruiz-Ramos, Rubén; Del Carmen Martinez-Valenzuela, María

2018-03-10

The population that lives in areas where organochlorine pesticides were spread in the past is still exposed to them through contaminated food, particulate matter, and vapors. Due to their lipophilic properties and resistance to metabolic reactions, they accumulate in tissues and fluids rich in lipids. The aim of the study was to monitor the concentrations of organochlorine pesticides in forensic adipose tissue samples of adult inhabitants of Veracruz City, Mexico, and compare their time trend levels from 1988 to 2014. During the study, hexachlorobenzene (HCB); lindane; β-hexachorocyclohexane; p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (pp'DDE); p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p'-DDT); and o,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (o,p'-DDT) were determined. Our survey was divided into two periods: first, from the years 1988 to 1999, during which DDT was allowed to fight malaria and dengue vectors and the second from the years 2001 to 2014, after the DDT ban. A total of 1435 samples were analyzed. There were substantial differences in the forecasted time trend values of p,p'-DDE and p,p'-DDT in human adipose tissue samples in the two different periods. During the first period, p,p'-DDE decrease time trend was 1.198 mg/kg on lipid base per year; for the second one, decrease was 0.128 mg/kg on lipid base per year. p,p'-DDT decreased 0.507 mg/kg on lipid base during the first period and 0.039 mg/kg on lipid base for the second. The different concentrations may be explained by the cessation of fresh exposure after the first period and a more equilibrated decontamination tendency during the second period. This model was useful to show the decrease in the concentration of pesticides in human adipose tissue samples.

Plasticity of the Intrinsic Period of the Human Circadian Timing System

PubMed Central

Scheer, Frank A.J.L.; Wright, Kenneth P.; Kronauer, Richard E.; Czeisler, Charles A.

2007-01-01

Human expeditions to Mars will require adaptation to the 24.65-h Martian solar day-night cycle (sol), which is outside the range of entrainment of the human circadian pacemaker under lighting intensities to which astronauts are typically exposed. Failure to entrain the circadian time-keeping system to the desired rest-activity cycle disturbs sleep and impairs cognitive function. Furthermore, differences between the intrinsic circadian period and Earth's 24-h light-dark cycle underlie human circadian rhythm sleep disorders, such as advanced sleep phase disorder and non-24-hour sleep-wake disorders. Therefore, first, we tested whether exposure to a model-based lighting regimen would entrain the human circadian pacemaker at a normal phase angle to the 24.65-h Martian sol and to the 23.5-h day length often required of astronauts during short duration space exploration. Second, we tested here whether such prior entrainment to non-24-h light-dark cycles would lead to subsequent modification of the intrinsic period of the human circadian timing system. Here we show that exposure to moderately bright light (∼450 lux; ∼1.2 W/m2) for the second or first half of the scheduled wake episode is effective for entraining individuals to the 24.65-h Martian sol and a 23.5-h day length, respectively. Estimations of the circadian periods of plasma melatonin, plasma cortisol, and core body temperature rhythms collected under forced desynchrony protocols revealed that the intrinsic circadian period of the human circadian pacemaker was significantly longer following entrainment to the Martian sol as compared to following entrainment to the 23.5-h day. The latter finding of after-effects of entrainment reveals for the first time plasticity of the period of the human circadian timing system. Both findings have important implications for the treatment of circadian rhythm sleep disorders and human space exploration. PMID:17684566

Interchangeability of counts of cases and hours of cases for quantifying a hospital's change in workload among four-week periods of 1 year.

PubMed

Dexter, Franklin; Epstein, Richard H; Ledolter, Johannes; Wanderer, Jonathan P

2018-05-16

Recent studies have made longitudinal assessments of case counts using State (e.g., United States) and Provincial (e.g., Canada) databases. Such databases rarely include either operating room (OR) or anesthesia times and, even when duration data are available, there are major statistical limitations to their use. We evaluated how to forecast short-term changes in OR caseload and workload (hours) and how to decide whether changes are outliers (e.g., significant, abrupt decline in anesthetics). Observational cohort study. Large teaching hospital. 35 years of annual anesthesia caseload data. Annual data were used without regard to where or when in the year each case was performed, thereby matching public use files. Changes in caseload or hours among four-week periods were examined within individual year-long periods using 159 consecutive four-week periods from the same hospital. Series of 12 four-week periods of the hours of cases performed on workdays lacked trend or correlation among periods for 49 of 50 series and followed normal distributions for 50 of 50 series. These criteria also were satisfied for 50 of 50 series based on counts of cases. The Pearson r = 0.999 between hours of anesthetics and cases. For purposes of time series analysis of total workload at a hospital within 1-year, hours of cases and counts of cases are interchangeable. Simple control chart methods of detecting sudden changes in workload or caseload, based simply on the sample mean and standard deviation from the preceding year, are appropriate. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Individual Patterns of Complexity in Cystic Fibrosis Lung Microbiota, Including Predator Bacteria, over a 1-Year Period

PubMed Central

de Dios Caballero, Juan; Vida, Rafael; Cobo, Marta; Máiz, Luis; Suárez, Lucrecia; Galeano, Javier; Baquero, Fernando; Cantón, Rafael

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung microbiota composition has recently been redefined by the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) tools, identifying, among others, previously undescribed anaerobic and uncultivable bacteria. In the present study, we monitored the fluctuations of this ecosystem in 15 CF patients during a 1-year follow-up period, describing for the first time, as far as we know, the presence of predator bacteria in the CF lung microbiome. In addition, a new computational model was developed to ascertain the hypothetical ecological repercussions of a prey-predator interaction in CF lung microbial communities. Fifteen adult CF patients, stratified according to their pulmonary function into mild (n = 5), moderate (n = 9), and severe (n = 1) disease, were recruited at the CF unit of the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital (Madrid, Spain). Each patient contributed three or four induced sputum samples during a 1-year follow-up period. Lung microbiota composition was determined by both cultivation and NGS techniques and was compared with the patients’ clinical variables. Results revealed a particular microbiota composition for each patient that was maintained during the study period, although some fluctuations were detected without any clinical correlation. For the first time, Bdellovibrio and Vampirovibrio predator bacteria were shown in CF lung microbiota and reduced-genome bacterial parasites of the phylum Parcubacteria were also consistently detected. The newly designed computational model allows us to hypothesize that inoculation of predators into the pulmonary microbiome might contribute to the control of chronic colonization by CF pathogens in early colonization stages. PMID:28951476

Age, time period, and birth cohort differences in self-esteem: Reexamining a cohort-sequential longitudinal study.

PubMed

Twenge, Jean M; Carter, Nathan T; Campbell, W Keith

2017-05-01

Orth, Trzesniewski, and Robins (2010) concluded that the nationally representative Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) cohort-sequential study demonstrated moderate to large age differences in self-esteem, and no birth cohort (generational) differences in the age trajectory. In a reanalysis of these data using 2 different statistical techniques, we find significant increases in self-esteem that could be attributed to birth cohort or time period. First, hierarchical linear modeling analyses with birth cohort as a continuous variable (vs. the multiple group formulation used by Orth et al.) find that birth cohort has a measurable influence on self-esteem through its interaction with age. Participants born in later years (e.g., 1960) were higher in self-esteem and were more likely to increase in self-esteem as they aged than participants born in earlier years (e.g., 1920). However, the estimated age trajectory up to age 60 is similar in Orth et al.'s results and in the results from our analyses including cohort. Second, comparing ACL respondents of the same age in 1986 versus 2002 (a time-lag design) yields significant birth cohort differences in self-esteem, with 2002 participants of the same age higher in self-esteem than those in 1986. Combined with some previous studies finding significant increases in self-esteem and positive self-views over time, these results suggest that cultural change in the form of cohort and time period cannot be ignored as influences in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Semiclassical relation between open trajectories and periodic orbits for the Wigner time delay.

PubMed

Kuipers, Jack; Sieber, Martin

2008-04-01

The Wigner time delay of a classically chaotic quantum system can be expressed semiclassically either in terms of pairs of scattering trajectories that enter and leave the system or in terms of the periodic orbits trapped inside the system. We show how these two pictures are related on the semiclassical level. We start from the semiclassical formula with the scattering trajectories and derive from it all terms in the periodic orbit formula for the time delay. The main ingredient in this calculation are correlations between scattering trajectories which are due to trajectories that approach the trapped periodic orbits closely. The equivalence between the two pictures is also demonstrated by considering correlation functions of the time delay. A corresponding calculation for the conductance gives no periodic orbit contributions in leading order.

Examining perceived stigma of children with newly-diagnosed epilepsy and their caregivers over a two-year period.

PubMed

Rood, Jennifer E; Schultz, Janet R; Rausch, Joseph R; Modi, Avani C

2014-10-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the following: 1) the course of perceived epilepsy-related stigma among children newly diagnosed with epilepsy (n=39) and their caregivers (n=97) over a two-year period, 2) the influence of seizure absence/presence on children and caregivers' perception of epilepsy-related stigma, and 3) the congruence of child and caregiver perception of child epilepsy-related stigma. Participants completed a measure of perceived epilepsy-related stigma at three time points, and seizure status was collected at the final time point. Results indicated that both caregivers (t(1,76)=-2.57, p<.01) and children with epilepsy (t(1,29)=-3.37, p<.01) reported decreasing epilepsy-related stigma from diagnosis to two years postdiagnosis. No significant differences were found in caregiver and child reports of perceived stigma for children experiencing seizures compared with children who have been seizure-free for the past year. Results revealed poor caregiver-child agreement of perceived epilepsy-related stigma at all three time points. These data suggest that while children with epilepsy initially perceive epilepsy-related stigma at diagnosis, their perception of stigma decreases over time. Having a better understanding of the course of epilepsy-related stigma provides clinicians with information regarding critical times to support families with stigma reduction interventions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Examining Perceived Stigma of Children with Newly-Diagnosed Epilepsy and Their Caregivers Over a Two Year Period

PubMed Central

Rood, Jennifer E.; Schultz, Janet R.; Rausch, Joseph R.; Modi, Avani C.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine: 1) the course of perceived epilepsy-related stigma among children newly-diagnosed with epilepsy (n=39) and their caregivers (n=97) over a two year period, 2) the influence of seizure absence/presence on children and caregivers’ perception of epilepsy-related stigma, and 3) congruence of child and caregiver perception of child epilepsy-related stigma. Participants completed a measure of perceived epilepsy-related stigma at three time points, and seizure status was collected at the final time point. Results indicated both caregivers (t1,76 = − 2.57 p< .01) and children with epilepsy (t1,29=−3.37, p< .01) reported decreasing epilepsy-related stigma from diagnosis to two years post-diagnosis. No significant differences were found in caregiver and child report of perceived stigma for children experiencing seizures as compared to children who have been seizure-free for the past year. Results revealed poor caregiver-child agreement of perceived epilepsy-related stigma at all three time points. These data suggest that while children with epilepsy initially perceive epilepsy-related stigma at diagnosis, their perception of stigma decreases over time. Having a better understanding of the course of epilepsy-related stigma provides clinicians with information regarding critical times to support families with stigma reduction interventions. PMID:25173098

Dura mater graft-associated Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with 30-year incubation period.

PubMed

Shijo, Masahiro; Honda, Hiroyuki; Koyama, Sachiko; Ishitsuka, Koji; Maeda, Koichiro; Kuroda, Junya; Tanii, Mitsugu; Kitazono, Takanari; Iwaki, Toru

2017-06-01

Over 60% of all patients with dura mater graft-associated Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (dCJD) have been diagnosed in Japan. The incubation period has ranged from 1 to 30 years and the age at onset from 15 to 80 years. Here, we report a 77-year-old male Japanese autopsied dCJD case with the longest incubation period so far in Japan. He received a cadaveric dural graft at the right cranial convexity following a craniotomy for meningioma at the age of 46. At 30 years post-dural graft placement, disorientation was observed as an initial symptom of dCJD. He rapidly began to present with inconsistent speech, cognitive impairment and tremor of the left upper extremity. Occasional myoclonic jerks were predominantly observed on the left side. Brain MRI presented hyperintense signals on diffusion-weighted and T2-weighted images, at the right cerebral cortex. The most hyperintense lesion was located at the right parietal lobe, where the dura mater graft had been transplanted. Single-photon emission CT scan showed markedly decreased cerebral blood flow at the right parietal lobe. EEG revealed diffuse and slow activities with periodic sharp-wave complex discharges seen in the right parietal, temporal and occipital lobes. He died of pneumonia 9 months after onset. Brain pathology revealed non-plaque-type dCJD. Laterality of neuropathological changes, including spongiform change, neuronal loss, gliosis or PrP deposits, was not evident. Western blot analysis showed type 1 PrP CJD . Alzheimer-type pathology and PSP-like pathology were also observed. © 2016 Japanese Society of Neuropathology.

Periodic Time-Domain Nonlocal Nonreflecting Boundary Conditions for Duct Acoustics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, Willie R.; Zorumski, William E.

1996-01-01

Periodic time-domain boundary conditions are formulated for direct numerical simulation of acoustic waves in ducts without flow. Well-developed frequency-domain boundary conditions are transformed into the time domain. The formulation is presented here in one space dimension and time; however, this formulation has an advantage in that its extension to variable-area, higher dimensional, and acoustically treated ducts is rigorous and straightforward. The boundary condition simulates a nonreflecting wave field in an infinite uniform duct and is implemented by impulse-response operators that are applied at the boundary of the computational domain. These operators are generated by convolution integrals of the corresponding frequency-domain operators. The acoustic solution is obtained by advancing the Euler equations to a periodic state with the MacCormack scheme. The MacCormack scheme utilizes the boundary condition to limit the computational space and preserve the radiation boundary condition. The success of the boundary condition is attributed to the fact that it is nonreflecting to periodic acoustic waves. In addition, transient waves can pass rapidly out of the solution domain. The boundary condition is tested for a pure tone and a multitone source in a linear setting. The effects of various initial conditions are assessed. Computational solutions with the boundary condition are consistent with the known solutions for nonreflecting wave fields in an infinite uniform duct.

Spectral-decomposition techniques for the identification of periodic and anomalous phenomena in radon time-series.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crockett, R. G. M.; Perrier, F.; Richon, P.

2009-04-01

Building on independent investigations by research groups at both IPGP, France, and the University of Northampton, UK, hourly-sampled radon time-series of durations exceeding one year have been investigated for periodic and anomalous phenomena using a variety of established and novel techniques. These time-series have been recorded in locations having no routine human behaviour and thus are effectively free of significant anthropogenic influences. With regard to periodic components, the long durations of these time-series allow, in principle, very high frequency resolutions for established spectral-measurement techniques such as Fourier and maximum-entropy. However, as has been widely observed, the stochastic nature of radon emissions from rocks and soils, coupled with sensitivity to a wide variety influences such as temperature, wind-speed and soil moisture-content has made interpretation of the results obtained by such techniques very difficult, with uncertain results, in many cases. We here report developments in the investigation of radon-time series for periodic and anomalous phenomena using spectral-decomposition techniques. These techniques, in variously separating ‘high', ‘middle' and ‘low' frequency components, effectively ‘de-noise' the data by allowing components of interest to be isolated from others which (might) serve to obscure weaker information-containing components. Once isolated, these components can be investigated using a variety of techniques. Whilst this is very much work in early stages of development, spectral decomposition methods have been used successfully to indicate the presence of diurnal and sub-diurnal cycles in radon concentration which we provisionally attribute to tidal influences. Also, these methods have been used to enhance the identification of short-duration anomalies, attributable to a variety of causes including, for example, earthquakes and rapid large-magnitude changes in weather conditions. Keywords: radon

Modelling the time-variant dietary exposure of PCBs in China over the period 1930 to 2100.

PubMed

Zhao, Shizhen; Breivik, Knut; Jones, Kevin C; Sweetman, Andrew J

2018-06-06

This study aimed for the first time to reconstruct historical exposure profiles for PCBs to the Chinese population, by examining the combined effect of changing temporal emissions and dietary transition. A long-term (1930-2100) dynamic simulation of human exposure using realistic emission scenarios, including primary emissions, unintentional emissions and emissions from e-waste, combined with dietary transition trends was conducted by a multimedia fate model (BETR-Global) linked to a bioaccumulation model (ACC-HUMAN). The model predicted an approximate 30-year delay of peak body burden for PCB-153 in a 30-year-old Chinese female, compared to their European counterpart. This was mainly attributed to a combination of change in diet and divergent emission patterns in China. A fish-based diet was predicted to result in up to 8 times higher body burden than a vegetable-based diet (2010-2100). During the production period, a worst-case scenario assuming only consumption of imported food from a region with more extensive production and usage of PCBs would result in up to 4 times higher body burden compared to consumption of only locally produced food. However, such differences gradually diminished after cessation of production. Therefore, emission reductions in China alone may not be sufficient to protect human health for PCB-like chemicals, particularly during the period of mass production. The results from this study illustrate that human exposure is also likely to be dictated by inflows of PCBs via the environment, waste and food.

45 CFR 96.14 - Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds. 96.14 Section 96.14 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION BLOCK GRANTS General Procedures § 96.14 Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds...

45 CFR 96.14 - Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds. 96.14 Section 96.14 Public Welfare Department of Health and Human Services GENERAL ADMINISTRATION BLOCK GRANTS General Procedures § 96.14 Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds...

45 CFR 96.14 - Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds. 96.14 Section 96.14 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION BLOCK GRANTS General Procedures § 96.14 Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds...

45 CFR 96.14 - Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds. 96.14 Section 96.14 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION BLOCK GRANTS General Procedures § 96.14 Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds...

45 CFR 96.14 - Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds. 96.14 Section 96.14 Public Welfare DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES GENERAL ADMINISTRATION BLOCK GRANTS General Procedures § 96.14 Time period for obligation and expenditure of grant funds...

[Trends in stroke mortality rates in Russia and the USA over a 15-year period].

PubMed

Samorodskaya, I V; Zayratyants, O V; Perkhov, V I; Andreev, E M; Vaisman, D Sh

2018-01-01

to comparatively analyze standardized mortality ratios (SMR) from stroke in the populations aged over 30 years in the Russian Federation and in the USA over a 15-year period. The analysis included nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage (NTSH) (a group of ICD-10 codes I60), nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (NTIH) (I61), cerebral infarction (CI) (I63), and stroke, not specified as hemorrhage or infarction (SNSHI) (I64). The new European standard (European Standard Population.2013) was used for standardization. The data of the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, those of the World Health Organization Mortality Database (WHO MD) and Human Mortality Database (HMD) for the USA were applied. During the considered period, 30-49-year-old Russian men showed a reduction in SMRs from NTSH (I61) by 9.0% (from 18.9 to 17.2 per 100,000 population), from SNSHI (I64) by 10 times (from 12.5 to 1.3); SMRs from CI (I63) increased by 4.3% (from 6.9 to 7.2). In men aged 50 years and older, SMRs from NTIH and SNSHI decreased by 32.3% (from 143.2 to 97.0) and by 10 times (from 580.8 to 60.6), respectively; those from CI increased by 13.8% (from 229.8 to 261.4). In the USA, 30-49-year-old men displayed 26.1% and 2-fold decreases in SMRs from NTIH (from 2.5 per 100,000 population in 1999 to 1.7 in 2013) and CI (from 1.8 to 0.9), respectively; those from SNSHI remained unchanged (1.3). In men aged 50 years and older, SMRs from NTIH, CI, and SNSHI reduced by 39.7% (from 29.0 to 17.5), by 2 times (from 1.8 to 0.9), and by 2 times (143.0 to 72.5), respectively. 30-49-year-old Russian women exhibited a 22.2% reduction in SMRs from NTIH (from 9.0 to 7.0), a 4.3% increase in those from CI (from 2.7 to 2.8), and an 11-fold decrease in those from SNSHI (from 5.5 to 0.5). Women aged 50 years and older showed changes in SMRs from the codes in the same sequence from 105.6 to 60.5, from 172.8 to 189.6, and from 466.5 to 43.7, respectively. In the USA, 30-49-year-old women

Development of hospital nurses' work ability over a 2 year period.

PubMed

Boschman, J S; Nieuwenhuijsen, K; Frings-Dresen, M H W; Sluiter, J K

2015-10-01

A new approach to the study of work ability is an individually oriented approach. This approach increases our understanding of how work ability develops over time among individuals with a different level of work ability. To increase knowledge about individuals' work ability trajectories by studying hospital nurses' development of work ability over a 2 year period and factors associated with these trajectories. We used a data set of a prospective cohort study of hospital nurses, which was surveyed for 2 years by means of three questionnaires on work characteristics, health and work ability. The outcome variable was the general work ability trajectory over the course of 2 years (favourable/unfavourable). The predictors were the individual, physical and mental work ability and health characteristics at baseline. A multivariate backwards stepwise logistic regression analysis was used. Of 572 nurses in the cohort, nearly one-third (31%, 179/572) showed an unfavourable general work ability trajectory. Low physical work ability (odds ratio (OR) 1.82; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.12-2.95) and high level of fatigue (OR 1.52; 95% CI 0.97-2.40) at baseline were predictors for the unfavourable course of self-reported general work ability. A substantial proportion of this cohort of hospital nurses experienced a reduction in work ability over the course of 2 years. Baseline physical work ability and level of fatigue were related to this. The next step is to address these factors when counselling nurses and evaluate the effect of interventions aimed at improving physical work ability and reducing fatigue. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The analysis and assessment of the climate conditions of China in 1959-1961: the three-year difficult period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Haidong; Sun, Zhao bo; Luo, Yong; Zhang, Shangyin; Li, Qingxiang

2006-08-01

China is in the fragile climate area and is one of the most serious countries that suffered serious natural disaster in the world. This text had analyzing the climate conditions of China for the three-year difficult period of 1959-1961 scientifically, and told us about the number of the disaster (20, 29, 26 times) that occurred in the main natural areas by analyzing meteorological factors in 1951-1961, and the result is serious. The disasters of these years are mainly drought and typhoon, other natural disasters such as flood, hail are mainly in some areas in China. On the basis of analyze the three years' meteorological materials from the whole country (670 observation stations at national level and national basis, 4/24 times a day) year by year, and do the comparative analysis according to a common way (considered the average value of climate conditions in 1961-1990 as the standard value), analyze the impact of the natural disasters on national economy objectively with specific and accurate materials at that time, and give us suggestions on how to organize the deference of climate emergency system, etc. According to analysis, during 1959 - 1961, China's climate characteristic was lack of precipitation, especially in 1960, the space and time for the precipitation was not fair. As a whole, the weather and climate conditions are very disadvantageous to China's agricultural production during those years, especially 1960. According to loss caused by the disasters, the year 1960 was much more serious than 1959 and 1961.

Hydrologic drought of water year 2011 compared to four major drought periods of the 20th century in Oklahoma

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shivers, Molly J.; Andrews, William J.

2013-01-01

Water year 2011 (October 1, 2010, through September 30, 2011) was a year of hydrologic drought (based on streamflow) in Oklahoma and the second-driest year to date (based on precipitation) since 1925. Drought conditions worsened substantially in the summer, with the highest monthly average temperature record for all States being broken by Oklahoma in July (89.1 degrees Fahrenheit), June being the second hottest and August being the hottest on record for those months for the State since 1895. Drought conditions continued into the fall, with all of the State continuing to be in severe to exceptional drought through the end of September. In addition to effects on streamflow and reservoirs, the 2011 drought increased damage from wildfires, led to declarations of states of emergency, water-use restrictions, and outdoor burning bans; caused at least $2 billion of losses in the agricultural sector and higher prices for food and other agricultural products; caused losses of tourism and wildlife; reduced hydropower generation; and lowered groundwater levels in State aquifers. The U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board, conducted an investigation to compare the severity of the 2011 drought with four previous major hydrologic drought periods during the 20th century – water years 1929–41, 1952–56, 1961–72, and 1976–81. The period of water years 1925–2011 was selected as the period of record because few continuous record streamflow-gaging stations existed before 1925, and gaps in time existed where no streamflow-gaging stations were operated before 1925. In water year 2011, statewide annual precipitation was the 2d lowest, statewide annual streamflow was 16th lowest, and statewide annual runoff was 42d lowest of those 87 years of record. Annual area-averaged precipitation totals by the nine National Weather Service climate divisions from water year 2011 were compared to those during four previous major hydrologic drought

Frequency domain system identification of helicopter rotor dynamics incorporating models with time periodic coefficients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hwang, Sunghwan

1997-08-01

One of the most prominent features of helicopter rotor dynamics in forward flight is the periodic coefficients in the equations of motion introduced by the rotor rotation. The frequency response characteristics of such a linear time periodic system exhibits sideband behavior, which is not the case for linear time invariant systems. Therefore, a frequency domain identification methodology for linear systems with time periodic coefficients was developed, because the linear time invariant theory cannot account for sideband behavior. The modulated complex Fourier series was introduced to eliminate the smearing effect of Fourier series expansions of exponentially modulated periodic signals. A system identification theory was then developed using modulated complex Fourier series expansion. Correlation and spectral density functions were derived using the modulated complex Fourier series expansion for linear time periodic systems. Expressions of the identified harmonic transfer function were then formulated using the spectral density functions both with and without additive noise processes at input and/or output. A procedure was developed to identify parameters of a model to match the frequency response characteristics between measured and estimated harmonic transfer functions by minimizing an objective function defined in terms of the trace of the squared frequency response error matrix. Feasibility was demonstrated by the identification of the harmonic transfer function and parameters for helicopter rigid blade flapping dynamics in forward flight. This technique is envisioned to satisfy the needs of system identification in the rotating frame, especially in the context of individual blade control. The technique was applied to the coupled flap-lag-inflow dynamics of a rigid blade excited by an active pitch link. The linear time periodic technique results were compared with the linear time invariant technique results. Also, the effect of noise processes and initial

Identification of periods of clear sky irradiance in time series of GHI measurements

DOE PAGES

Reno, Matthew J.; Hansen, Clifford W.

2016-01-18

In this study, we present a simple algorithm for identifying periods of time with broadband global horizontal irradiance (GHI) similar to that occurring during clear sky conditions from a time series of GHI measurements. Other available methods to identify these periods do so by identifying periods with clear sky conditions using additional measurements, such as direct or diffuse irradiance. Our algorithm compares characteristics of the time series of measured GHI with the output of a clear sky model without requiring additional measurements. We validate our algorithm using data from several locations by comparing our results with those obtained from amore » clear sky detection algorithm, and with satellite and ground-based sky imagery.« less

Identification of periods of clear sky irradiance in time series of GHI measurements

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Reno, Matthew J.; Hansen, Clifford W.

In this study, we present a simple algorithm for identifying periods of time with broadband global horizontal irradiance (GHI) similar to that occurring during clear sky conditions from a time series of GHI measurements. Other available methods to identify these periods do so by identifying periods with clear sky conditions using additional measurements, such as direct or diffuse irradiance. Our algorithm compares characteristics of the time series of measured GHI with the output of a clear sky model without requiring additional measurements. We validate our algorithm using data from several locations by comparing our results with those obtained from amore » clear sky detection algorithm, and with satellite and ground-based sky imagery.« less

Period changes of the long-period cataclysmic binary EX Draconis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilarčík, L.; Wolf, M.; Dubovský, P. A.; Hornoch, K.; Kotková, L.

2012-03-01

The cataclysmic variable star EX Dra is a relatively faint but frequently investigated eclipsing dwarf nova. In total 35 new eclipses were measured photometrically as part of our long-term monitoring of interesting eclipsing systems. Using published and new mid-eclipse times obtained between 2004 and 2011 we constructed the observed-minus-calculated diagram. The current data present 21 years of period modulation with a semi-amplitude of 2.5 min. The eclipse timings show significant deviations from the best sinusoidal fit, which indicates that this ephemeris is not a complete description of the data. The fractional period change is roughly ΔP/P = 3 × 10-6.

EVALUATING DISABILITY OVER DISCRETE PERIODS OF TIME

PubMed Central

Gill, Thomas M.; Gahbauer, Evelyne A.

2009-01-01

Background To advance the field of disability assessment, additional developmental work is needed. The objective of this study was to determine the potential value of participant recall when evaluating disability over discrete periods of time. Methods We studied 491 residents of greater New Haven, Connecticut who were aged 76 years or older. Participants completed a comprehensive assessment that included several new questions on disability in four essential activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, transferring, and walking). Participants were also assessed for disability in the same activities during monthly telephone interviews before and after the comprehensive assessment. Chronic disability was defined as a new disability that was present for at least three consecutive months. Results We found that up to half of the incident disability episodes, which would otherwise have been missed, can be ascertained if participants are asked to recall whether they have had disability “at any time” since the prior assessment; that these disability episodes, which are ascertained by participant recall, confer high risk for the subsequent development of chronic disability, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.5 (95% confidence interval: 1.1, 5.8); and that participant recall for the absence of disability becomes increasingly inaccurate as the duration of the assessment interval increases, with 2.2%, 6.0%, 6.9% and 9.1% of participants having inaccurate recall at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Conclusions Our results demonstrate both the promise and limitations of participant recall and suggest that additional strategies are needed to more completely and accurately ascertain the occurrence of disability among older persons. PMID:18559633

Time trends in lifetime incidence rates of first-time diagnosed anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa across 16 years in a Danish nationwide psychiatric registry study.

PubMed

Steinhausen, Hans-Christoph; Jensen, Christina Mohr

2015-11-01

To study recent time trends in the incidence of diagnosed anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) based on nationwide psychiatric register data. The Danish Psychiatric Central Research Registry was used to identify the incidence of diagnosed cases with AN and BN at the ages of 4-65 years from 1995 to 2010. Age- and sex-adjusted incidence rates per 100,000 person-years were calculated and were adjusted for time trends in the total number of people diagnosed in psychiatry. Time trends were analyzed using JoinPoint regression analysis. A total of N = 5,902 persons had a first-time incidence of AN, and a total of N = 5,113 had first-time incidence of BN. Incidence rates increased for AN from 6.4 to 12.6 per 100,000 person-years, and for BN from 6.3 to 7.2 per 100,000 person-years. In 2010, the male-to-female ratio was 1:8 for AN, and 1:20 for BN. There was an earlier onset for AN than for BN, and age at incidence decreased during the observation period for AN but not for BN. A sizeable part of the increasing incidence rates for AN and in particular, the younger AN age groups, could be attributed to an increase in the total number of N = 249,607 persons with first-time diagnoses in psychiatry. Incidence rates had increased slightly for AN, but were stable for BN across 16 years in this nationwide study and to a large extent were reflective of a general increase in diagnosed mental disorders. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Are Geography Students Good "Environmental Citizens?" A Comparison between Year of Study and over Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Zoe P.

2015-01-01

Are geography students good "environmental citizens?" Has this improved over time with increasing emphasis on sustainability within higher education? This paper compares environmental attitudes and behaviours of geography students at different stages of their degree and over a seven-year period. The findings show that although geography…

Visual Times of Maxima for Short Period Pulsating Stars II

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samolyk, G.

2017-12-01

This compilation contains 631 times of maxima of 8 short period pulsating stars (primarily RR Lyrae). These were reduced from a portion of the visual observations made from 1966 to 2014 that are included in the AAVSO International Database.

A 20-year period of orthotopic liver transplantation activity in a single center: a time series analysis performed using the R Statistical Software.

PubMed

Santori, G; Andorno, E; Morelli, N; Casaccia, M; Bottino, G; Di Domenico, S; Valente, U

2009-05-01

In many Western countries a "minimum volume rule" policy has been adopted as a quality measure for complex surgical procedures. In Italy, the National Transplant Centre set the minimum number of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) procedures/y at 25/center. OLT procedures performed in a single center for a reasonably large period may be treated as a time series to evaluate trend, seasonal cycles, and nonsystematic fluctuations. Between January 1, 1987 and December 31, 2006, we performed 563 cadaveric donor OLTs to adult recipients. During 2007, there were another 28 procedures. The greatest numbers of OLTs/y were performed in 2001 (n = 51), 2005 (n = 50), and 2004 (n = 49). A time series analysis performed using R Statistical Software (Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria), a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics, showed an incremental trend after exponential smoothing as well as after seasonal decomposition. The predicted OLT/mo for 2007 calculated with the Holt-Winters exponential smoothing applied to the previous period 1987-2006 helped to identify the months where there was a major difference between predicted and performed procedures. The time series approach may be helpful to establish a minimum volume/y at a single-center level.

Periodicity and stability for variable-time impulsive neural networks.

PubMed

Li, Hongfei; Li, Chuandong; Huang, Tingwen

2017-10-01

The paper considers a general neural networks model with variable-time impulses. It is shown that each solution of the system intersects with every discontinuous surface exactly once via several new well-proposed assumptions. Moreover, based on the comparison principle, this paper shows that neural networks with variable-time impulse can be reduced to the corresponding neural network with fixed-time impulses under well-selected conditions. Meanwhile, the fixed-time impulsive systems can be regarded as the comparison system of the variable-time impulsive neural networks. Furthermore, a series of sufficient criteria are derived to ensure the existence and global exponential stability of periodic solution of variable-time impulsive neural networks, and to illustrate the same stability properties between variable-time impulsive neural networks and the fixed-time ones. The new criteria are established by applying Schaefer's fixed point theorem combined with the use of inequality technique. Finally, a numerical example is presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The effect of time period on point count methodology for monitoring breeding birds

Treesearch

Sallie J. Hejl; Thomas G. Thompson

2000-01-01

The traditional time period to survey breeding birds in low elevation forests of western Montana is from the middle of May through early July. There are some bird species, however, that begin their breeding cycle before these surveys begin and, therefore, may not be as vocal or active during the traditional survey period. To study the impact of survey timing on our...

Time-periodic solutions of driven-damped trimer granular crystals

DOE PAGES

Charalampidis, E. G.; Li, F.; Chong, C.; ...

2015-01-01

In this work, we consider time-periodic structures of granular crystals consisting of alternate chrome steel (S) and tungsten carbide (W) spherical particles where each unit cell follows the pattern of a 2:1 trimer: S-W-S. The configuration at the left boundary is driven by a harmonic in-time actuation with given amplitude and frequency while the right one is a fixed wall. Similar to the case of a dimer chain, the combination of dissipation, driving of the boundary, and intrinsic nonlinearity leads to complex dynamics. For fixed driving frequencies in each of the spectral gaps, we find that the nonlinear surface modesmore » and the states dictated by the linear drive collide in a saddle-node bifurcation as the driving amplitude is increased, beyond which the dynamics of the system becomes chaotic. While the bifurcation structure is similar for solutions within the first and second gap, those in the first gap appear to be less robust. We also conduct a continuation in driving frequency, where it is apparent that the nonlinearity of the system results in a complex bifurcation diagram, involving an intricate set of loops of branches, especially within the spectral gap. The theoretical findings are qualitatively corroborated by the experimental full-field visualization of the time-periodic structures.« less

Gap Year: Time off, with a Plan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torpey, Elka Maria

2009-01-01

A gap year allows people to step off the usual educational or career path and reassess their future. According to people who have taken a gap year, the time away can be well worth it. This article can help a person decide whether to take a gap year and how to make the most of his time off. It describes what a gap year is, including its pros and…

Physical Activity in High School during "Free-Time" Periods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silva, Pedro; Sousa, Michael; Sá, Carla; Ribeiro, José; Mota, Jorge

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine youth physical activity (PA) in free-time periods during high school days and their contribution to total PA. Differences in terms of sex, age, body mass index and school level were assessed in a sample of Portuguese adolescents. Participants totalled 213 (135 girls), aged 14.6 ± 1.7, from two different…

The time of the insult/triggering event in Legg-Calvé-Perthes' disease determined by incubation period modeling and the age distribution of children with Perthes'.

PubMed

Loder, Randall T; Browne, Richard H; Millis, Andrew; Kim, Wook-Cheol; Shah, Hitesh; Cosgrove, Aidan P; Wiig, Ola

2012-01-01

The time when the insult/triggering event occurs in Legg-Calvé-Perthes' (LCPD) is unknown. the purpose of this study was to determine, using the mathematical tool of incubation period modeling, the time of such event and the incubation period for LCPD. We reviewed 2,911 children with LCPD from 10 different centers around the world. They were divided into two groups: those from India (505 children, mean age 8.1 ± 2.3 years) and those from other than India (2,406 children, mean age 5.8 ± 2.2 years). A simple distribution with an excellent fit to the data was ln(y) = a + bx + cxln(x), where y is the proportion of children with LCPD at age of diagnosis x (r(2) = 0.994 for non-Indian and 0.959 for Indian children). The age of the triggering event was 1.32 years for non-Indian and 2.77 years for Indian children; the median incubation period was 4.30 years non-Indian and 5.33 years for Indian patients. Knowing the incubation period and age of triggering event narrows the number of potential etiologies in LCPD. this study does not support a prenatal triggering event as postulated in the past. similar incubation periods with different ages at diagnosis supports a common insult which occurs at different ages in different populations dependent upon local factors such as geographic location and ethnicity.

Determinants of Three-Year Change in Children's Objectively Measured Sedentary Time.

PubMed

Atkin, Andrew J; Foley, Louise; Corder, Kirsten; Ekelund, Ulf; van Sluijs, Esther M F

2016-01-01

Sedentary behaviours (SB) are highly prevalent in young people and may be adversely associated with physical and mental health. Understanding of the modifiable determinants of SB is necessary to inform the design of behaviour change interventions but much of the existing research is cross-sectional and focussed upon screen-based behaviours. To examine the social, psychological and environmental determinants of change in children's objectively measured sedentary time from age 11 to 14 years. Data are from the second (2008) and third (2011) waves of assessment in the Sport, Physical Activity, and Eating Behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young People (SPEEDY) study, conducted in the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom. Longitudinal data on accelerometer assessed sedentary time were available for 316 (53.5% female, 11.2±0.3 years at baseline) and 264 children after-school and at the weekend respectively. Information on 14 candidate determinants, including school travel mode and electronic media ownership, was self-reported. Change in the proportion of registered time spent sedentary was used as the outcome variable in cross-classified linear regression models, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index and baseline sedentary time. Simple and multiple models were run and interactions with sex explored. Daily sedentary time increased by 30-40 minutes after-school and at the weekend from baseline to follow-up. Participants who travelled to school by cycle exhibited smaller increases in after-school sedentary time (beta; 95%CI for change in % time spent sedentary: -3.3;-6.7,-0.07). No significant determinants of change in weekend sedentary time were identified. Time spent sedentary increased during the three-year duration of follow-up but few of the variables examined were significantly associated with changes in sedentary time. Children's mode of school travel may influence changes in their sedentary time over this period and should be examined further, alongside

Temporal trends in inflammatory bowel disease publications over a 19-years period.

PubMed

Weintraub, Yael; Mimouni, Francis B; Cohen, Shlomi

2014-11-28

To determine whether temporal changes occurred in the pediatric vs adult inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), both in terms of number and type of yearly published articles. We aimed to evaluate all PubMed-registered articles related to the field of IBD from January 1, 1993 and until December 31, 2011. We searched for articles using the key words "inflammatory bowel disease" or "Crohn's disease" or "ulcerative colitis" or "undetermined colitis", using the age filters of "child" or "adult". We repeated the search according to the total number per year of articles per type of article, for each year of the specified period. We studied randomized controlled trials, clinical trials, case reports, meta-analyses, letters to the editor, reviews, systematic reviews, practice guidelines, and editorials. We identified 44645 articles over the 19 year-period. There were 8687 pediatric-tagged articles vs 19750 adult-tagged articles. Thus 16208 articles were unaccounted and not assigned a "pediatric" or "adult" tag by PubMed. There was an approximately 3-fold significant increase in all articles recorded both in pediatric and adult articles. This significant increase was true for nearly every category of article but the number of clinical trials, meta-analysis, and randomized controlled trials increased proportionally more than the number of "lower quality" articles such as editorials or letters to the editor. Very few guidelines were published every year. There is a yearly linear increase in publications related to IBD. Relatively, there are more and more clinical trials and higher quality articles.

Time-series photometric spot modeling. 2: Fifteen years of photometry of the bright RS CVn binary HR 7275

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strassmeier, K. G.; Hall, D. S.; Henry, G. W.

1994-01-01

We present a time-dependent spot modeling analysis of 15 consecutive years of V-band photometry of the long-period (P(sub orb) = 28.6 days) RS CVn binary HR 7275. This baseline in time is one of the longest, uninterrupted intervals a spotted star has been observed. The spot modeling analysis yields a total of 20 different spots throughout the time span of our observations. The distribution of the observed spot migration rates is consistent with solar-type differential rotation and suggests a lower limit of the differential-rotation coefficient of 0.022 +/-0.004. The observed, maximum lifetime of a single spot (or spot group) is 4.5 years, the minimum lifetime is approximately one year, but an average spot lives for 2.2 years. If we assume that the mechanical shear by differential rotation sets the upper limit to the spot lifetime, the observed maximum lifetime in turn sets an upper limit to the differential-rotation coefficient, namely 0.04 +/- 0.01. This would be differential rotation just 5 to 8 times less than the solar value and one of the strongest among active binaries. We found no conclusive evidence for the existence of a periodic phenomenon that could be attributed to a stellar magnetic cycle.

41 CFR 105-8.150-3 - Time period for compliance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Time period for compliance. 105-8.150-3 Section 105-8.150-3 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management Regulations System (Continued) GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 8-ENFORCEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION...

41 CFR 105-8.150-3 - Time period for compliance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Time period for compliance. 105-8.150-3 Section 105-8.150-3 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Property Management Regulations System (Continued) GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION 8-ENFORCEMENT OF NONDISCRIMINATION...

Personality predicts time to remission and clinical status in hypochondriasis during a 6-year follow-up.

PubMed

Greeven, Anja; van Balkom, Anton J L M; Spinhoven, Philip

2014-05-01

We aimed to investigate whether personality characteristics predict time to remission and psychiatric status. The follow-up was at most 6 years and was performed within the scope of a randomized controlled trial that investigated the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy, paroxetine, and placebo in hypochondriasis. The Life Chart Interview was administered to investigate for each year if remission had occurred. Personality was assessed at pretest by the Abbreviated Dutch Temperament and Character Inventory. Cox's regression models for recurrent events were compared with logistic regression models. Sixteen (36.4%) of 44 patients achieved remission during the follow-up period. Cox's regression yielded approximately the same results as the logistic regression. Being less harm avoidant and more cooperative were associated with a shorter time to remission and a remitted state after the follow-up period. Personality variables seem to be relevant for describing patients with a more chronic course of hypochondriacal complaints.

26 CFR 1.1382-4 - Taxable income of cooperatives; payment period for each taxable year.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... taxable year is the period beginning with the first day of such taxable year and ending with the fifteenth day of the ninth month following the close of such year. [T.D. 6643, 28 FR 3156, Nov. 26, 1963] ...

Identification of five time periods on the Indonesian stock exchange index historical data since 1997 to 2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riveli, N.; Suroto, B. J.

2018-05-01

We are investigating the behavioural changes of the Indonesian financial systems in the last 20 years. Changes in the financial system behaviour were indicated by differences in the statistical properties of the daily log return distribution in two adjacent time windows. To measure how likely two distributions are differ, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) Test was applied. We have found that we can divide our time series data into five segments, where the KS probability values between two adjacent segments are maximum. This finding can be used to study the effect on the financial system imposed by, for example, the socio-economy and political policy by the government, by studying the changes in such factors in the identified time periods.

Time trends in intracranial bleeding associated with direct oral anticoagulants: a 5-year cohort study

PubMed Central

Hogg, Kerstin; Bahl, Bharat; Latrous, Meriem; Scaffidi Argentina, Sarina; Thompson, Jesse; Chatha, Aasil Ayyaz; Castellucci, Lana; Stiell, Ian G.

2015-01-01

Background: Over the past 5 years, dabigatran, rivaroxaban and apixaban were approved for stroke prevention. Phase III studies have shown a lower risk of intracranial bleeding with these direct oral anticoagulants than with warfarin; however, there is a lack of real-life data to validate this. We analyzed time trends in atraumatic intracranial bleeding from 2009 to 2013 among patients prescribed oral anticoagulants and those not prescribed oral anticoagulants. Methods: We used ICD-10-CA (enhanced Canadian version of the 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) codes to identify all patients with atraumatic intracranial bleeding who presented to our neurosurgical centre (serving a population of more than 1.2 million). Trained researchers extracted data on anticoagulant medications used in the week before diagnosis of the intracranial bleed. Provincial prescription data for oral anticoagulants were obtained from IMS Brogan CompuScript Market Dynamics. The primary outcome was the time trend in incident intracranial bleeds associated with oral anticoagulation during the period 2009-2013. The secondary outcomes were the time trend in intracranial bleeds not associated with oral anticoagulation and the provincial prescribing patterns for oral anticoagulants during the same period. Results: A total of 2050 patients presented with atraumatic intracranial bleeds during the study period. Of the 371 (18%) prescribed an anticoagulant in the week before presentation, 335 were prescribed an oral anticoagulant. There was an increasing time trend in intracranial bleeding associated with oral anticoagulants (p = 0.009; 6 additional events per year) and in intracranial bleeding not associated with oral anticoagulation (p = 0.06). During 2013, prescriptions for warfarin decreased to 70% of all oral anticoagulant prescriptions in the province, whereas those for dabigatran and rivaroxaban increased to 17% and 12

The effect of differences rainfall data duration and time period in the assessment of rainwater harvesting system performance for domestic water use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juliana, Imroatul C.; Kusuma, M. Syahril Badri; Cahyono, M.; Martokusumo, Widjaja; Kuntoro, Arno Adi

2017-11-01

One of the attempts to tackle the problem in water resources is to exploit the potential of rainwater volume with rainwater harvesting (RWH) system. A number of rainfall data required for analyzing the RWH system performance. In contrast, the availability of rainfall data is occasionally difficult to obtain. The main objective of this study is to investigate the effect of difference rainfall data duration and time period to assess the RWH system performance. An analysis was conducted on the rainfall data based on rainfall data duration and time period. The analysis was performed considering 15, 5, 3, 2 years, average year, wet year, and dry year for Palembang city in South Sumatera. The RWH system performance is calculated based on the concept of yield before spillage algorithm. A number of scenarios were conducted by varying the tank capacity, roof area, and the rainwater demand. It was observed that the use of data with a smaller duration provides a significant difference, especially for high rainwater demand. In addition, the use of daily rainfall data would describe th e behavior of the system more thoroughly. As for time step, the use of monthly rainfall data is only sufficient for low rainwater demand and bigger tank capacity.

A 40 Year Time Series of SBUV Observations: the Version 8.6 Processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McPeters, Richard; Bhartia, P. K.; Flynn, L.

2012-01-01

Under a NASA program to produce long term data records from instruments on multiple satellites (MEaSUREs), data from a series of eight SBUV and SBUV 12 instruments have been reprocessed to create a 40 year long ozone time series. Data from the Nimbus 4 BUV, Nimbus 7 SBUV, and SBUV/2 instruments on NOAA 9, 11, 14, 16, 17, and 18 were used covering the period 1970 to 1972 and 1979 to the present. In past analyses an ozone time series was created from these instruments by adjusting ozone itself, instrument by instrument, for consistency during overlap periods. In the version 8.6 processing adjustments were made to the radiance calibration of each instrument to maintain a consistent calibration over the entire time series. Data for all eight instruments were then reprocessed using the adjusted radiances. Reprocessing is necessary to produce an accurate latitude dependence. Other improvements incorporated in version 8.6 included the use of the ozone cross sections of Brion, Daumont, and Malicet, and the use of a cloud height climatology derived from Aura OMI measurements. The new cross sections have a more accurate temperature dependence than the cross sections previously used. The OMI-based cloud heights account for the penetration of UV into the upper layers of clouds. The consistency of the version 8.6 time series was evaluated by intra-instrument comparisons during overlap periods, comparisons with ground-based instruments, and comparisons with measurements made by instruments on other satellites such as SAGE II and UARS MLS. These comparisons show that for the instruments on NOAA 16, 17 and 18, the instrument calibrations were remarkably stable and consistent from instrument to instrument. The data record from the Nimbus 7 SBUV was also very stable, and SAGE and ground-based comparisons show that the' calibration was consistent with measurements made years laterby the NOAA 16 instrument. The calibrations of the SBUV/2 instruments on NOAA 9, 11, and 14 were more of

[Effects of deep plowing time during the fallow period on water storage-consumption characteristics and wheat yield in dry-land soil.

PubMed

Dang, Jian You; Pei, Xue Xia; Zhang, Ding Yi; Wang, Jiao Ai; Zhang, Jing; Wu, Xue Ping

2016-09-01

Through a three-year field trail, effects of deep plowing time during the fallow period on water storage of 0-200 cm soil before sowing, water consumption of growth period, and growth and development of wheat were investigated. Results demonstrated that soil water storage (SWS) of the fallow period was influenced by deep plowing time, precipitation, and rainfall distribution. With postponing the time of deep plowing in the fallow period, SWS was increased firstly, and then decreased. SWS with deep plowing in early or middle of August was 23.9-45.8 mm more than that with deep plowing in mid-July. It would benefit SWS when more precipitation occurred in the fallow period or more rainfall was distributed in August and September. Deep plowing at a proper time could facilitate SWS, N and P absorption of wheat, and the number of stems before winter and the spike number. The yield of wheat with deep plowing in early or middle August was 3.67%-18.2% higher than that with deep plowing in mid-July, and it was positively correlated with water storage of 0-200 cm soil during the fallow period and SWS of each soil layer during the wheat growth period. However, this correlation coefficient would be weakened by adequate rainfall in spring, the critical growing period for wheat. The time of deep plowing mainly affected the water consumption at soil layer of 60-140 cm during wheat growth. Under current farming conditions of south Shanxi, the increased grain yield of wheat could be achieved by combining the measures of high wheat stubble and wheat straw covering for holding soil water and deep plowing between the Beginning of Autumn (August 6th) and the Limit of Heat (August 21st) for promoting soil water penetration characteristics to improve the number of stems before winter and spike.

Climate impact on airborne particulate matter concentrations in California using seven year analysis periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmud, A.; Hixson, M.; Hu, J.; Zhao, Z.; Chen, S.-H.; Kleeman, M. J.

2010-11-01

The effect of global climate change on the annual average concentration of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in California was studied using a climate-air quality modeling system composed of global through regional models. Output from the NCAR/DOE Parallel Climate Model (PCM) generated under the "business as usual" global emissions scenario was downscaled using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model followed by air quality simulations using the UCD/CIT airshed model. The system represents major atmospheric processes acting on gas and particle phase species including meteorological effects on emissions, advection, dispersion, chemical reaction rates, gas-particle conversion, and dry/wet deposition. The air quality simulations were carried out for the entire state of California with a resolution of 8-km for the years 2000-2006 (present climate with present emissions) and 2047-2053 (future climate with present emissions). Each of these 7-year analysis periods was analyzed using a total of 1008 simulated days to span a climatologically relevant time period with a practical computational burden. The 7-year windows were chosen to properly account for annual variability with the added benefit that the air quality predictions under the present climate could be compared to actual measurements. The climate-air quality modeling system successfully predicted the spatial pattern of present climate PM2.5 concentrations in California but the absolute magnitude of the annual average PM2.5 concentrations were under-predicted by ~4-39% in the major air basins. The majority of this under-prediction was caused by excess ventilation predicted by PCM-WRF that should be present to the same degree in the current and future time periods so that the net bias introduced into the comparison is minimized. Surface temperature, relative humidity (RH), rain rate, and wind speed were predicted to increase in the future climate while the ultra violet (UV) radiation was predicted to decrease

The Role of Thermal Properties in Periodic Time-Varying Phenomena

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marin, E.

2007-01-01

The role played by physical parameters governing the transport of heat in periodical time-varying phenomena within solids is discussed. Starting with a brief look at the conduction heat transport mechanism, the equations governing heat conduction under static, stationary and non-stationary conditions, and the physical parameters involved, are…

The nature of species interactions shifts profoundly between time periods

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Species interactions change through time, for example ontogenetically, successionally, and evolutionarily. They also change as environmental conditions change, both within years (seasonally) and between years (year effects). The former are relatively well-studied, but the latter have received less a...

Stability analysis of a time-periodic 2-dof MEMS structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kniffka, Till Jochen; Welte, Johannes; Ecker, Horst

2012-11-01

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are becoming important for all kinds of industrial applications. Among them are filters in communication devices, due to the growing demand for efficient and accurate filtering of signals. In recent developments single degree of freedom (1-dof) oscillators, that are operated at a parametric resonances, are employed for such tasks. Typically vibration damping is low in such MEM systems. While parametric excitation (PE) is used so far to take advantage of a parametric resonance, this contribution suggests to also exploit parametric anti-resonances in order to improve the damping behavior of such systems. Modeling aspects of a 2-dof MEM system and first results of the analysis of the non-linear and the linearized system are the focus of this paper. In principle the investigated system is an oscillating mechanical system with two degrees of freedom x = [x1x2]T that can be described by Mx+Cx+K1x+K3(x2)x+Fes(x,V(t)) = 0. The system is inherently non-linear because of the cubic mechanical stiffness K3 of the structure, but also because of electrostatic forces (1+cos(ωt))Fes(x) that act on the system. Electrostatic forces are generated by comb drives and are proportional to the applied time-periodic voltage V(t). These drives also provide the means to introduce time-periodic coefficients, i.e. parametric excitation (1+cos(ωt)) with frequency ω. For a realistic MEM system the coefficients of the non-linear set of differential equations need to be scaled for efficient numerical treatment. The final mathematical model is a set of four non-linear time-periodic homogeneous differential equations of first order. Numerical results are obtained from two different methods. The linearized time-periodic (LTP) system is studied by calculating the Monodromy matrix of the system. The eigenvalues of this matrix decide on the stability of the LTP-system. To study the unabridged non-linear system, the bifurcation software ManLab is employed

42 CFR § 512.200 - Time periods for EPM episodes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2017-10-01

... 42 Public Health 5 2017-10-01 2017-10-01 false Time periods for EPM episodes. § 512.200 Section § 512.200 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) HEALTH CARE INFRASTRUCTURE AND MODEL PROGRAMS EPISODE PAYMENT MODEL Scope of Episodes...

Socioeconomic factors and mortality in emergency general surgery: trends over a 20-year period.

PubMed

Armenia, Sarah J; Pentakota, Sri Ram; Merchant, Aziz M

2017-05-15

Socioeconomic factors such as race, insurance, and income quartiles have been identified as independent risk factors in emergency general surgery (EGS), but this impact has not been studied over time. We sought to identify trends in disparities in EGS-related operative mortality over a 20-y period. The National Inpatient Sample was used to identify patient encounters coded for EGS in 1993, 2003, and 2013. Logistic regression models were used to examine the adjusted relationship between race, primary payer status, and median income quartiles and in-hospital mortality after adjusting for patients' age, gender, Elixhauser comorbidity score, and hospital region, size, and location-cum-teaching status. We identified 391,040 patient encounters. In 1993, Black race was associated with higher odds of in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 1.35 [1.20-1.53]) than White race, although this difference dissipated in subsequent years. Medicare, Medicaid, and underinsured patients had a higher odds of mortality than those with private insurance for the entire 20-y period; only the disparity in the underinsured decreased over time (1993, 1.63 [1.35-1.98]; 2013, 1.41 [1.20-1.67]). In 2003 (1.23 [1.10-1.38]) and 2013 (1.23 [1.11-1.37]), patients from the lowest income quartile were more likely to die after EGS than patients from the highest income quartile. Socioeconomic disparities in EGS-related operative morality followed inconsistent trends. Over time, while gaps in in-hospital mortality among Blacks and Whites have narrowed, disparities among patients belonging to lowest income quartile have worsened. Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries continued to experience higher odds of in-hospital mortality relative to those with private insurance. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Changing trends of chronic myeloid leukemia in greater Mumbai, India over a period of 30 years

PubMed Central

Dikshit, Rajesh P.; Nagrani, Rajini; Yeole, Balkrishna; Koyande, Shravani; Banawali, Shripad

2011-01-01

Background: Little is known about burden of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in India. There is a recent interest to observe incidence and mortality because of advent of new diagnostic and treatment policies for CML. Materials and Methods: We extracted data from the oldest population-based cancer registry of Mumbai for 30 years period from 1976−2005 to observe incidence and mortality rates of CML. We classified the data into four age groups 0–14, 15–29, 30–54 and 55–74 to observe incidence rates in the respective age groups. Results: The age specific rates were highest for the age group of 55–74 years. No significant change in trends of CML was observed for 30 years period. However, there was a significant reduction in incidence rate for recent 15-years period (Estimated average annual percentage change=-3.9). No significant reduction in mortality rate was observed till 2005. Conclusion: The study demonstrates that age-specific rates for CML are highest in age group of 55-74 years, although they are lower compared to western populations. Significant reduction in incidence of CML in recent periods might be because of reduced misclassification of leukemias. The data of CML has to be observed for another decade to witness reduction in mortality because of changes in treatment management. PMID:22174498

Trends in National Emergency Medicine Conference Didactic Lectures Over a 6-Year Period.

PubMed

Gottlieb, Michael; Riddell, Jeff; Njie, Abdoulie

2017-01-01

National conference didactic lectures have traditionally featured hour-long lecture-based presentations. However, there is evidence that longer lectures can lead to both decreased attention and retention of information. The authors sought to identify trends in lecture duration, lecture types, and number of speakers at four national emergency medicine (EM) conferences over a 6-year period. The authors performed a retrospective analysis of the length, number of speakers, and format of didactic lectures at four different national EM conferences over 6 years. The authors abstracted data from the national academic assemblies for the four largest not-for-profit EM organizations in the United States: American Academy of Emergency Medicine, American College of Emergency Physicians, Council of Emergency Medicine Residency Directors, and Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. There was a significant yearly decrease in the mean lecture lengths for three of the four conferences. There was an increase in the percentage of rapid fire sessions over the preceding 2 years with a corresponding decrease in the percentage of general educational sessions. There was no significant difference in the mean number of speakers per lecture. An analysis of 4210 didactic lecture sessions from the annual meetings of four national EM organizations over a 6-year period showed significant decreases in mean lecture length. These findings can help to guide EM continuing medical education conference planning and research.

The Changes of Pulmonary Function in COPD During Four-Year Period

PubMed Central

Cukic, Vesna; Lovre, Vladimir; Ustamujic, Aida

2013-01-01

Conflict of interest: none declared. Introduction COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible. OBJECTIVE: to show the changes of pulmonary function in COPD during the 4 -year evolution of illness. Material and Methods The research was done on patients suffering from COPD treated at the Clinic “Podhrastovi” during 2006 and 2007. The tested parameters were examined from the date of receiving patient with COPD to hospital treatment in 2006 and 2007 and then followed prospectively until 2010 or 2011 (the follow-up period was 4 years). There were total 199 treated patients who were chosen at random and regularly attended the control examinations. The study was conducted on adult patients of both sexes, different age group. In each patient the duration of illness was recorded so is sex, age, data of smoking habits, information about the regularity of taking bronchodilator therapy during remissions of disease, about the treatment of disease exacerbations, results of pulmonary functional tests as follows: FVC (forced vital capacity), FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one second) and bronchodilator reversibility testing. All these parameters were measured at the beginning and at the end of each hospital treatment on the apparatuses of Clinic “Podhrastovi”. We took in elaboration those data obtained in the beginning of the first hospitalization and at the end of the last hospitalization or at the last control in outpatient department when patient was in stable state. Patients were divided into three groups according to the number of exacerbations per year. Results airflow limitation in COPD is progressive; both FVC and FEV1 shows the statistically significant decrease during follow-up period of 4 years (p values / for both parameters/ =0.05) . But in patients regularly treated in phases of remission and exacerbations of illness the course of illness is slower. The fall of FVC and FEV1 is

People's preference patterns for gains/losses in multiple time period situations.

PubMed

Chang, Shin-Shin; Chang, Jung-Hua

2013-10-01

Little research to date has been devoted to investigating whether people treat time differently from money when facing multiple gains or losses. This study tested the hypothesis that because time is characterized by perishability, fixed supply, and infungibility, people with strong motivation to obtain a long period of uninterrupted discretionary time would strive to trim the time needed for non-discretionary activities or to combine several non-discretionary activities. As a result, people prefer integration over segregation of multiple time losses or gains, which is not consistent with the prediction based on hedonic editing theory or the renewable resource model. This proposition is supported by results from four experiments.

Low-thrust roundtrip trajectories to Mars with one-synodic-period repeat time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okutsu, Masataka; Landau, Damon F.; Rogers, Blake A.; Longuski, James M.

2015-05-01

Cycler trajectories-both ballistic and powered-are reported in the literature in which there are two-vehicle, three-vehicle, and four-vehicle cases. Such trajectories permit the installation of cycler vehicles which provide safe and comfortable living conditions for human space travel between Earth and Mars during every synodic opportunity. The question the present paper answers is a logical, obvious one: Does a single-vehicle, one-synodic-period cycler exist? The answer is yes: such a trajectory can be flown-but only with a high-power electric propulsion system. In our example, it is found that "stopover" trajectories that spend 30 days in orbit about Earth and 30 days about Mars, and return astronauts to Earth in one synodic period require a 90-t power generator with a power level of 11 MWe. Fortuitously, and in lieu of using chemical propulsion, the high power level of the electric propulsion system would also be effective in hauling the cargo payload via a spiral trajectory about the Earth. But because one synodic period is not enough for the cycler vehicle to fly both the interplanetary trajectories and the Earth-spiral trajectories, we suggest developing two nuclear power generators, which could alternate flying the interplanetary trajectories and the Earth-spiral trajectories. Once these power generators are launched and begin operating in space, the mass requirement in seven subsequent missions (over a period of 15 years beginning in 2022) would be modest at 250-300 metric tons to low-Earth orbit per mission. Thus two cargo launches of NASA's Space Launch System and one crew launch of the Falcon Heavy, for example, would be adequate to maintain support for each consecutive mission. Although we propose developing two sets of electric propulsion systems to account for the Earth-spiral phases, only one vehicle is flown on a heliocentric trajectory at any given time. Thus, our low-thrust stopover cycler with zero encounter velocities falls into a category of a

Visual Times of Maxima for Short Period Pulsating Stars III

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samolyk, G.

2018-06-01

Abstract This compilation contains 524 times of maxima of 9 short period pulsating stars (primarily RR Lyrae stars; RW Cnc, TT Cnc, VZ Cnc, RR Cet, XZ Cyg, DM Cyg, RW Dra, XZ Dra, RR Gem). These were reduced from a portion of the visual observations made from 1966 to 2014 that are included in the AAVSO International Database.

Detection of faults in rotating machinery using periodic time-frequency sparsity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Yin; He, Wangpeng; Chen, Binqiang; Zi, Yanyang; Selesnick, Ivan W.

2016-11-01

This paper addresses the problem of extracting periodic oscillatory features in vibration signals for detecting faults in rotating machinery. To extract the feature, we propose an approach in the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) domain where the periodic oscillatory feature manifests itself as a relatively sparse grid. To estimate the sparse grid, we formulate an optimization problem using customized binary weights in the regularizer, where the weights are formulated to promote periodicity. In order to solve the proposed optimization problem, we develop an algorithm called augmented Lagrangian majorization-minimization algorithm, which combines the split augmented Lagrangian shrinkage algorithm (SALSA) with majorization-minimization (MM), and is guaranteed to converge for both convex and non-convex formulation. As examples, the proposed approach is applied to simulated data, and used as a tool for diagnosing faults in bearings and gearboxes for real data, and compared to some state-of-the-art methods. The results show that the proposed approach can effectively detect and extract the periodical oscillatory features.

Late Noachian Climate Of Mars: Constraints From Valley Network System Formation Times And The Intermittencies (Episodic/Periodic And Punctuated).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Head, James

2017-04-01

Formation of Late Noachian-Early Hesperian (LN-EH) valley network systems (VNS) signaled the presence of warm/wet conditions generating several hypotheses for climates permissive of these conditions. To constrain options for the ambient Noachian climate, we examine estimates for time required to carve channels/deltas and total duration implied by plausible intermittencies. Formation Times for VN, OBL, Deltas, Fans: A synthesis of required timescales show that even with the longest estimated continuous duration of VN formation/intermittencies, total time to carve the VN does not exceed 106 years, <˜0.25% of the total Noachian. Intermittency/episodicity assumptions are climate-model dependent (e.g., most workers use Earth-like fluvial activity and intermittency). Noachian-Early Hesperian Climate Models: 1) Warm and wet/semiarid/arid climate: Sustained background MAT >273 K, hydrological system vertically integrated, and rainfall occurs to recharge the aquifer. Two subtypes: a) "Rainfall/Fluvial Erosion-Dominated Warm and Wet Model": "Rainfall and surface runoff" persist throughout Noachian to explain crater degradation, and a LN-EH short rapidly ending terminal epoch. b) "Recharge Evaporation/Evaporite Dominated Warm and Wet Model": Sustained period of equatorial/mid-latitude precipitation and a vertically integrated hydrological system driven by evaporative upwelling and fluctuating shallow water table playa environments account for sulfate evaporate environments at Meridiani Planum. Sustained temperatures >273 K are required for extended periods (107-108 years). 2) Cold and icy climate: Sustained background temperatures extremely low (MAT ˜225 K), cryosphere is globally continuous, hydrological system is horizontally stratified, separating groundwater system from surface; no combination of spin-axis/orbital perturbations can raise MAT to 273 K. Adiabatic cooling effects transfer water to high altitudes, leading to "Late Noachian Icy Highlands Model". VNS cannot

Prenatal Diagnosis of Transposition of the Great Arteries over a 20-Year Period: Improved but Imperfect

PubMed Central

Escobar-Diaz, Maria C; Freud, Lindsay R; Bueno, Alejandra; Brown, David W; Friedman, Kevin; Schidlow, David; Emani, Sitaram; del Nido, Pedro; Tworetzky, Wayne

2015-01-01

Objective To evaluate temporal trends in prenatal diagnosis of transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum (TGA/IVS) and its impact on neonatal morbidity and mortality. Methods Newborns with TGA/IVS referred for surgical management to our center over a 20-year period (1992 – 2011) were included. The study time was divided into 5 four-year periods, and the primary outcome was rate of prenatal diagnosis. Secondary outcomes included neonatal pre-operative status and perioperative survival. Results Of the 340 patients, 81 (24%) had a prenatal diagnosis. Prenatal diagnosis increased over the study period from 6% to 41% (p<0.001). Prenatally diagnosed patients underwent a balloon atrial septostomy (BAS) earlier than postnatally diagnosed patients (0 vs. 1 day, p<0.001) and fewer required mechanical ventilation (56% vs. 69%, p=0.03). There were no statistically significant differences in pre-operative acidosis (16% vs. 26%, p=0.1) and need for preoperative ECMO (2% vs. 3%, p=1.0). There was also no significant mortality difference (1 pre-operative and no post-operative deaths among prenatally diagnosed patients, as compared to 4 pre-operative and 6 post-operative deaths among postnatally diagnosed patients). Conclusion The prenatal detection rate of TGA/IVS has improved but still remains below 50%, suggesting the need for strategies to increase detection rates. The mortality rate was not statistically different between pre- and postnatally diagnosed patients; however, there were significant pre-operative differences with regard to earlier BAS and less mechanical ventilation. Ongoing study is required to elucidate whether prenatal diagnosis confers long-term benefit. PMID:25484180

Modeling laser-induced periodic surface structures: Finite-difference time-domain feedback simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Skolski, J. Z. P., E-mail: j.z.p.skolski@utwente.nl; Vincenc Obona, J.; Römer, G. R. B. E.

2014-03-14

A model predicting the formation of laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSSs) is presented. That is, the finite-difference time domain method is used to study the interaction of electromagnetic fields with rough surfaces. In this approach, the rough surface is modified by “ablation after each laser pulse,” according to the absorbed energy profile, in order to account for inter-pulse feedback mechanisms. LIPSSs with a periodicity significantly smaller than the laser wavelength are found to “grow” either parallel or orthogonal to the laser polarization. The change in orientation and periodicity follow from the model. LIPSSs with a periodicity larger than the wavelengthmore » of the laser radiation and complex superimposed LIPSS patterns are also predicted by the model.« less

Metabolic status and resistin in chronic schizophrenia over a 2-year period with continuous atypical antipsychotics

PubMed Central

Kawabe, Kentaro; Ochi, Shinichiro; Yoshino, Yuta; Mori, Yoko; Onuma, Hiroshi; Osawa, Haruhiko; Hosoda, Yoshiki; Ueno, Shu-ichi

2015-01-01

Background: Common adverse effects of atypical antipsychotic treatments for schizophrenia are weight gain and lipid metabolism abnormality. We aimed to identify the signs of metabolic problems with continuous atypical antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia over a 2-year period. Methods: The participants were 68 schizophrenic patients (29 males, 39 females; ages 53.4 ± 13.5 years old). Changes in carbohydrate metabolism and changes in physical characteristics were studied over a 2-year period. In addition, functional single nucleotide polymorphisms in the transcriptional regulatory region of the resistin gene were examined. Results: We found no changes in the mental state of the participants over a 2-year period. Patients did show a significant decrease in total cholesterol and hemoglobin A1c levels, although physical changes such as body mass index and abdominal girth, were not observed. The amount of resistin may not be associated with mental states and physical parameters. Conclusions: We could not find physical factors related to metabolic changes of antipsychotics in this 2-year study. However, several psychological factors, such as health-related thoughts and behaviors, should be studied in the future. PMID:26557983

Determinants of Three-Year Change in Children’s Objectively Measured Sedentary Time

PubMed Central

Foley, Louise; Corder, Kirsten; Ekelund, Ulf; van Sluijs, Esther M. F.

2016-01-01

Background Sedentary behaviours (SB) are highly prevalent in young people and may be adversely associated with physical and mental health. Understanding of the modifiable determinants of SB is necessary to inform the design of behaviour change interventions but much of the existing research is cross-sectional and focussed upon screen-based behaviours. Purpose To examine the social, psychological and environmental determinants of change in children’s objectively measured sedentary time from age 11 to 14 years. Methods Data are from the second (2008) and third (2011) waves of assessment in the Sport, Physical Activity, and Eating Behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young People (SPEEDY) study, conducted in the county of Norfolk, United Kingdom. Longitudinal data on accelerometer assessed sedentary time were available for 316 (53.5% female, 11.2±0.3 years at baseline) and 264 children after-school and at the weekend respectively. Information on 14 candidate determinants, including school travel mode and electronic media ownership, was self-reported. Change in the proportion of registered time spent sedentary was used as the outcome variable in cross-classified linear regression models, adjusted for age, sex, body mass index and baseline sedentary time. Simple and multiple models were run and interactions with sex explored. Results Daily sedentary time increased by 30–40 minutes after-school and at the weekend from baseline to follow-up. Participants who travelled to school by cycle exhibited smaller increases in after-school sedentary time (beta; 95%CI for change in % time spent sedentary: -3.3;-6.7,-0.07). No significant determinants of change in weekend sedentary time were identified. Conclusions Time spent sedentary increased during the three-year duration of follow-up but few of the variables examined were significantly associated with changes in sedentary time. Children’s mode of school travel may influence changes in their sedentary time over this

Boundedness and almost Periodicity in Time of Solutions of Evolutionary Variational Inequalities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pankov, A. A.

1983-04-01

In this paper existence theorems are obtained for the solutions of abstract parabolic variational inequalities, which are bounded with respect to time (in the Stepanov and L^\\infty norms). The regularity and almost periodicity properties of such solutions are studied. Theorems are also established concerning their solvability in spaces of Besicovitch almost periodic functions. The majority of the results are obtained without any compactness assumptions. Bibliography: 30 titles.

The Cluster Science Archive: from Time Period to Physics Based Search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masson, A.; Escoubet, C. P.; Laakso, H. E.; Perry, C. H.

2015-12-01

Since 2000, the Cluster spacecraft relay the most detailed information on how the solar wind affects our geospace in three dimensions. Science output from Cluster is a leap forward in our knowledge of space plasma physics: the science behind space weather. It has been key in improving the modeling of the magnetosphere and understanding its various physical processes. Cluster data have enabled the publication of more than 2000 refereed papers and counting. This substantial scientific return is often attributed to the online availability of the Cluster data archive, now called the Cluster Science Archive (CSA). It is being developed by the ESAC Science Data Center (ESDC) team and maintained alongside other science ESA archives at ESAC (ESA Space Astronomy Center, Madrid, Spain). CSA is a public archive, which contains the entire set of Cluster high-resolution data, and other related products in a standard format and with a complete set of metadata. Since May 2015, it also contains data from the CNSA/ESA Double Star mission (2003-2008), a mission operated in conjunction with Cluster. The total amount of data format now exceeds 100 TB. Accessing CSA requires to be registered to enable user profiles and CSA accounts more than 1,500 users. CSA provides unique tools for visualizing its data including - on-demand particle distribution functions visualization - fast data browsing with more than 15TB of pre-generated plots - inventory plots It also offers command line capabilities (e.g. data access via Matlab or IDL softwares, data streaming). Despite its reliability, users can only request data for a specific time period while scientists often focus on specific regions or data signatures. For these reasons, a data-mining tool is being developed to do just that. It offers an interface to select data based not only on a time period but on various criteria including: key physical parameters, regions of space and spacecraft constellation geometry. The output of this tool is a

Test of synthetic DNA tracers in a periodic hydrodynamic system for time-variable transit time distribution assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dahlke, H. E.; Wang, C.; McNew, C.; McLaughlin, S.; Lyon, S. W.

2016-12-01

Recent research on time-varying transport through hydrologic systems proposed using decomposed over-printed tracer breakthrough curves to directly observe transport through complex flow systems. This method, also known as the PERTH (Periodic Tracer Hierarchy) method requires periodic flow and multiple tracer injections to reveal changes in flow pathways and transport behavior. Time-variable transit time distributions (TTD) estimated from tracer breakthrough curves often vary with the storage state of the system, which in turn is influenced by internal and external variabilities, such as the arrangement of flow pathways and fluctuations in system inputs. Deciphering internal from external variabilities in TTDs might help to advance the use of TTDs for estimating the physical state of a system; however, thus far the finite number of unique conservative tracers available for tracing has limited deeper insights. Synthetic DNA tracers consisting of short strands of synthetic DNA encapsulated by polylactic acid (PLA) microspheres could potentially provide multiple unique tracers with identical transport properties needed to explore time varying transport through hydrologic systems in more detail. An experiment was conducted on the miniLeo hillslope, a 1 m3 sloping lysimeter, within the Biosphere 2 Landscape Evolution Observatory near Tucson, AZ to investigate transit time variability. The goal of the experiment was to 1) test the suitability of using synthetic DNA tracers for estimating TTDs in a hydrologic system and 2) to determine the TTDs of individual tracer pulses under periodic steady-state conditions. Five DNA tracers, consisting of four unique, encapsulated DNA sequences and one free/non-encapsulated DNA sequence, were applied as reference and probe tracers together with deuterium, using the PERTH method. The lysimeter received three 2-hour pulses of rainfall at a rate of 30 mm/hr for 10 days. Initial results show that both the encapsulated and free DNA tracers

Thermal characteristics of time-periodic electroosmotic flow in a circular microchannel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghadam, Ali Jabari

2015-10-01

A theoretical analysis is performed to explore the thermal characteristics of electroosmotic flow in a circular microchannel under an alternating electric field. An analytical approach is presented to solve energy equation, and then, the exact solution of temperature profiles is obtained by using the Green's function method. This study reveals that the temperature field repeats itself for each half-period. Frequency has a strong influence on the thermal behavior of the flow field. For small values of the dimensionless frequency (small channel size, large kinematic viscosity, or small frequency), the advection mechanism is dominant in the whole domain and the resultant heating (Joule heating and wall heat flux) can be transferred by the complete flow field in the axial direction; while, the middle portion of the flow field at high dimensionless frequencies does not have sufficient time to transfer heat by advection, and the bulk fluid temperature, especially in heating, may consequently become greater than the wall temperature. In a particular instance of cooling mode, a constant surface temperature case is temporarily occurred in which the axial temperature gradient will be zero. For relatively high frequencies, the unsteady bulk fluid temperature in some radial positions at some moments may be equal to the wall temperature; hence instantaneous cylindrical surfaces with zero radial heat flux may occur over a period of time. Depending on the value and sign of the thermal scale ratio, the quasi-steady-state Nusselt number (time-averaged at one period) approaches a specific value as the electrokinetic radius becomes infinity.

Timing, Duration, and Effects of Droughts in the Southern Sierra Nevada and San Joaquin Valley, CA Over the Last 2000 Years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, K. D.; Negrini, R. M.; Rajagopal, S.; Cook, E. R.

2015-12-01

The Central Valley of California is one of the most prolific agricultural areas in the U.S., providing about 25 % of the nation's food. This system is reliant on winter snows in the Sierra Nevada that gradually melt through the spring, but over the last 4 years California has been in the grip of its worst drought of the last 150 years. The question remains, however, how unusual is this drought when compared to previous events over longer time scales? We used moisture sensitive tree-ring chronologies from the Living Blended Drought Atlas of Cook et al. (2010) to reconstruct annual discharges over the last 2000 years for the Kings, Kaweah, Tule, and Kern rivers in the southern Sierra and routed this discharge into a Tulare Lake water balance model to simulate lake-level fluctuations over this same time period. Although the current drought represents the driest consecutive four year period over the past 2000 years, in terms of discharge volumes, there are multiple periods of more severe, longer term drought represented by extended periods of low lake levels. Significant low-lake periods (< 61 m) include 793-814, 906-933, and 1140-1158, all of which occurred during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Conversely, lake levels were predominately high during the ensuing Little Ice Age, separated by brief periods of low lake levels. Under natural flow conditions, the 1923-1935 drought would have lowered lake level to about 58 m, which is about 2 m lower than where lake level would have been in the current drought. Wavelet analyses of the streamflow and lake-level records reveal different periodicities of drought and wet conditions because lake-level is a state variable that changes relatively slowly, depending on inflow, precipitation on the lake, evaporation rate, and the hypsometry of the basin, whereas streamflow is a flux that responds immediately to climate perturbations. The streamflow records have a dominant period of 2-8 yrs but lake-level fluctuations follow longer

Performance of 40- to 50-year-old subjects on a radar monitoring task : the effects of wearing bifocal glasses and interpolated rest periods on target detection time.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1982-04-01

The present study examines the effects of wearing bifocal glasses and interpolated rest periods on the performance of 40- to 50-year-old subjects on a radar monitoring task. The visual display was designed to resemble an air traffic control radar dis...

Estimating return periods of extreme values from relatively short time series of winds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jonasson, Kristjan; Agustsson, Halfdan; Rognvaldsson, Olafur; Arfeuille, Gilles

2013-04-01

An important factor for determining the prospect of individual wind farm sites is the frequency of extreme winds at hub height. Here, extreme winds are defined as the value of the highest 10 minutes averaged wind speed with a 50 year return period, i.e. annual exceeding probability of 2% (Rodrigo, 2010). A frequently applied method to estimate winds in the lowest few hundred meters above ground is to extrapolate observed 10-meter winds logarithmically to higher altitudes. Recent study by Drechsel et al. (2012) showed however that this methodology is not as accurate as interpolating simulated results from the global ECMWF numerical weather prediction (NWP) model to the desired height. Observations of persistent low level jets near Colima in SW-Mexico also show that the logarithmic approach can give highly inaccurate results for some regions (Arfeuille et al., 2012). To address these shortcomings of limited, and/or poorly representative, observations and extrapolations of winds one can use NWP models to dynamically scale down relatively coarse resolution atmospheric analysis. In the case of limited computing resources one has typically to make a compromise between spatial resolution and the duration of the simulated period, both of which can limit the quality of the wind farm siting. A common method to estimate maximum winds is to fit an extreme value distribution (e.g. Gumbel, gev or Pareto) to the maximum values of each year of available data, or the tail of these values. If data are only available for a short period, e.g. 10 or 15 years, then this will give a rather inaccurate estimate. It is possible to deal with this problem by utilizing monthly or weekly maxima, but this introduces new problems: seasonal variation, autocorrelation of neighboring values, and increased discrepancy between data and fitted distribution. We introduce a new method to estimate return periods of extreme values of winds at hub height from relatively short time series of winds, simulated

Orbital Period Changes in WZ Sagittae

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patterson, Joseph; Stone, Geoffrey; Kemp, Jonathan; Skillman, David R.; de Miguel, Enrique; Potter, Michael; Starkey, Donn; Uthas, Helena; Jones, Jim; Slauson, Douglas; Koff, Robert; Myers, Gordon; Menzies, Kenneth; Campbell, Tut; Roberts, George; Foote, Jerry; Vanmunster, Tonny; Cook, Lewis M.; Krajci, Thomas; Ogmen, Yenal; Sabo, Richard; Seargeant, Jim

2018-06-01

We report a long-term (1961–2017) study of the eclipse times in the dwarf nova WZ Sagittae, in an effort to learn its rate of orbital-period change. Some wiggles with a timescale of 20–50 years are apparent, and a connection with the ∼23 year interval between dwarf-nova eruptions is possible. These back-and-forth wiggles dominate the O–C diagram, and prevent a secure measurement of the steady rate of orbital-period change.

Diversity time-period and diversity-time-area relationships exemplified by the human microbiome.

PubMed

Ma, Zhanshan Sam

2018-05-08

We extend the ecological laws of species-time relationship (STR) and species-time-area relationship (STAR) to general diversity time-period relationship (DTR) and diversity-time-area relationship (DTAR), and test the extensions with the human vaginal microbiome datasets by building 1460 DTR/DTAR models. Our extensions were inspired by the observation that Hill numbers, well regarded as the most appropriate measure of alpha-diversity and also particularly suitable for multiplicative beta-diversity partitioning, are actually in the units of effective species, and therefore, should be able to substitute for species in the STR and STAR. We found that the traditional power law (PL) model is only applicable for DTR at diversity order zero (i.e., species richness); at higher diversity orders (q = 1-4), the power law with exponent cutoff (PLEC) and power law with inverse exponent cutoff (PLIEC) are more appropriate. In particular, PLEC has an advantage over PLIEC in predicting maximal accumulation diversity (MAD) over time. In fact, with the DTR extensions, we can construct DTR and MAD profiles. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive investigation of the DTR/DTAR in human microbiome. Methodologically, our DTR/DTAR profiles can characterize general diversity scaling beyond species richness, covering both alpha- and beta-diversity regimes across different diversity orders.

Review the number of accidents in Tehran over a two-year period and prediction of the number of events based on a time-series model

PubMed Central

Teymuri, Ghulam Heidar; Sadeghian, Marzieh; Kangavari, Mehdi; Asghari, Mehdi; Madrese, Elham; Abbasinia, Marzieh; Ahmadnezhad, Iman; Gholizadeh, Yavar

2013-01-01

Background: One of the significant dangers that threaten people’s lives is the increased risk of accidents. Annually, more than 1.3 million people die around the world as a result of accidents, and it has been estimated that approximately 300 deaths occur daily due to traffic accidents in the world with more than 50% of that number being people who were not even passengers in the cars. The aim of this study was to examine traffic accidents in Tehran and forecast the number of future accidents using a time-series model. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study that was conducted in 2011. The sample population was all traffic accidents that caused death and physical injuries in Tehran in 2010 and 2011, as registered in the Tehran Emergency ward. The present study used Minitab 15 software to provide a description of accidents in Tehran for the specified time period as well as those that occurred during April 2012. Results: The results indicated that the average number of daily traffic accidents in Tehran in 2010 was 187 with a standard deviation of 83.6. In 2011, there was an average of 180 daily traffic accidents with a standard deviation of 39.5. One-way analysis of variance indicated that the average number of accidents in the city was different for different months of the year (P < 0.05). Most of the accidents occurred in March, July, August, and September. Thus, more accidents occurred in the summer than in the other seasons. The number of accidents was predicted based on an auto-regressive, moving average (ARMA) for April 2012. The number of accidents displayed a seasonal trend. The prediction of the number of accidents in the city during April of 2012 indicated that a total of 4,459 accidents would occur with mean of 149 accidents per day during these three months. Conclusion: The number of accidents in Tehran displayed a seasonal trend, and the number of accidents was different for different seasons of the year. PMID:26120405

Age, period, and birth cohort-specific effects on cervical cancer mortality rates in Japanese women and projections for mortality rates over 20-year period (2012-2031).

PubMed

Uchida, Hiroyuki; Kobayashi, Mizuki; Hosobuchi, Ami; Ohta, Ayano; Ohtake, Kazuo; Yamaki, Tutomu; Uchida, Masaki; Odagiri, Youichi; Natsume, Hideshi; Kobayashi, Jun

2014-01-01

We aimed to determine the effects of age, period, and birth cohort on cervical cancer mortality rate trends in Japanese women, by age-period-cohort (APC) analysis. Additionally, we analyzed projected mortality rates. We obtained data on the number of cervical cancer deaths in Japanese women from 1975-2011 from the national vital statistics and census population data. A cohort table of mortality rate data was analyzed on the basis of a Bayesian APC model. We also projected the mortality rates for the 2012-2031 period. The period effect was relatively limited, compared with the age and cohort effects. The age effect increased suddenly from 25-29 to 45-49 years of age and gently increased thereafter. An analysis of the cohort effect on mortality rate trends revealed a steep decreasing slope for birth cohorts born from 1908-1940 and a subsequent sudden increase after 1945. The mortality rate projections indicated increasing trends from 40 to 74 years of age until the year 2031. The age effect increased from 25-29 years of age. This could be attributable to the high human papilloma virus (HPV) infection risk and the low cervical cancer screening rate. The cohort effect changed from decreasing to increasing after the early 1940s. This might be attributable to the spread of cervical cancer screening and treatment before 1940 and the high HPV infection risk and reduced cervical cancer screening rate after 1945. The projected mortality rate indicated an increasing trend until the year 2031.

Evolution of Salmonella Cerro on a dairy farm over an eight-year period

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Cerro, frequently isolated from dairy cattle and an occasional pathogen of humans, was recurrently isolated over an eight-year period on a dairy farm in south-central Pennsylvania. The genomes of 18 S. Cerro isolates recovered directly from the feces of in...

Periodicity and time trends in the prevalence of total births and conceptions with congenital malformations among Jews and Muslims in Israel, 1999-2006: a time series study of 823,966 births.

PubMed

Agay-Shay, Keren; Friger, Michael; Linn, Shai; Peled, Ammatzia; Amitai, Yona; Peretz, Chava

2012-06-01

BACKGROUND Congenital malformations (CMs) are a leading cause of infant disability. Geophysical patterns such as 2-year, yearly, half-year, 3-month, and lunar cycles regulate much of the temporal biology of all life on Earth and may affect birth and birth outcomes in humans. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate and compare trends and periodicity in total births and CM conceptions in two Israeli populations. METHODS Poisson nonlinear models (polynomial) were applied to study and compare trends and geophysical periodicity cycles of weekly births and weekly prevalence rate of CM (CMPR), in a time-series design of conception date within and between Jews and Muslims. The population included all live births and stillbirths (n = 823,966) and CM (three anatomic systems, eight CM groups [n = 2193]) in Israel during 2000 to 2006. Data were obtained from the Ministry of Health. RESULTS We describe the trend and periodicity cycles for total birth conceptions. Of eight groups of CM, periodicity cycles were statistically significant in four CM groups for either Jews or Muslims. Lunar month and biennial periodicity cycles not previously investigated in the literature were found to be statistically significant. Biennial cycle was significant in total births (Jews and Muslims) and syndactyly (Muslims), whereas lunar month cycle was significant in total births (Muslims) and atresia of small intestine (Jews). CONCLUSION We encourage others to use the method we describe as an important tool to investigate the effects of different geophysical cycles on human health and pregnancy outcomes, especially CM, and to compare between populations. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

[Smoking among psychology students over a ten-year period (1996-2006)].

PubMed

Míguez Varela, María del Carmen; Becoña Iglesias, Elisardo

2009-11-01

The purpose of this study was to analyze the evolution of smoking among Psychology students at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain) over a ten-year period (1986-2006). We also assessed the extent of knowledge of the Spanish health legislation on tobacco (Ley 28/2005) and its effect on smoking. We administered a questionnaire to representative samples of students from the 1st year of their Psychology course to the 5th year, on four occasions. In the academic year 1996-1997 (N = 835), 34% of the sample claimed to be daily smokers; in 1999-2000 (N = 842), the figure was 35.2%; in 2003-2004 (N = 835) it was 31.9%; and in 2006-2007 (N = 688), it was 22.8%. Moreover, in the last assessment, 97.1% of the sample reported being aware of the legislation (Ley 28/2005) and 41.9% of the smokers claimed that it had some degree of influence on their smoking. It can be stated that, although overall current prevalence of smoking is similar to that of 10 years ago, a significant change is observed in the profile of smokers. This change is expressed in lower levels of nicotine dependence and a decrease in the percentage of daily smokers, together with an increase in occasional smokers.

Periodicity analysis of δ18O in precipitation over Central Europe: Time-frequency considerations of the isotopic 'temperature' effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salamalikis, V.; Argiriou, A. A.; Dotsika, E.

2016-03-01

In this paper the periodic patterns of the isotopic composition of precipitation (δ18O) for 22 stations located around Central Europe are investigated through sinusoidal models and wavelet analysis over a 23 years period (1980/01-2002/12). The seasonal distribution of δ18O follows the temporal variability of air temperature providing seasonal amplitudes ranging from 0.94‰ to 4.47‰; the monthly isotopic maximum is observed in July. The isotopic amplitude reflects the geographical dependencies of the isotopic composition of precipitation providing higher values when moving inland. In order to describe the dominant oscillation modes included in δ18O time series, the Morlet Continuous Wavelet Transform is evaluated. The main periodicity is represented at 12-months (annual periodicity) where the wavelet power is mainly concentrated. Stations (i.e. Cuxhaven, Trier, etc.) with limited seasonal isotopic effect provide sparse wavelet power areas at the annual periodicity mode explaining the fact that precipitation has a complex isotopic fingerprint that cannot be examined solely by the seasonality effect. Since temperature is the main contributor of the isotopic variability in mid-latitudes, the isotope-temperature effect is also investigated. The isotope-temperature slope ranges from 0.11‰/°C to 0.47‰/°C with steeper values observed at the southernmost stations of the study area. Bivariate wavelet analysis is applied in order to determine the correlation and the slope of the δ18O - temperature relationship over the time-frequency plane. High coherencies are detected at the annual periodicity mode. The time-frequency slope is calculated at the annual periodicity mode ranging from 0.45‰/°C to 0.83‰/°C with higher values at stations that show a more distinguishable seasonal isotopic behavior. Generally the slope fluctuates around a mean value but in certain cases (sites with low seasonal effect) abrupt slope changes are derived and the slope becomes

17 CFR 260.7a-24 - Words relating to periods of time in the past.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Words relating to periods of time in the past. 260.7a-24 Section 260.7a-24 Commodity and Securities Exchanges SECURITIES AND... Requirements As to Contents § 260.7a-24 Words relating to periods of time in the past. Unless the context...

Magnetic cycles and rotation periods of late-type stars from photometric time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suárez Mascareño, A.; Rebolo, R.; González Hernández, J. I.

2016-10-01

Aims: We investigate the photometric modulation induced by magnetic activity cycles and study the relationship between rotation period and activity cycle(s) in late-type (FGKM) stars. Methods: We analysed light curves, spanning up to nine years, of 125 nearby stars provided by the All Sky Automated Survey (ASAS). The sample is mainly composed of low-activity, main-sequence late-A to mid-M-type stars. We performed a search for short (days) and long-term (years) periodic variations in the photometry. We modelled the light curves with combinations of sinusoids to measure the properties of these periodic signals. To provide a better statistical interpretation of our results, we complement our new results with results from previous similar works. Results: We have been able to measure long-term photometric cycles of 47 stars, out of which 39 have been derived with false alarm probabilities (FAP) of less than 0.1 per cent. Rotational modulation was also detected and rotational periods were measured in 36 stars. For 28 stars we have simultaneous measurements of activity cycles and rotational periods, 17 of which are M-type stars. We measured both photometric amplitudes and periods from sinusoidal fits. The measured cycle periods range from 2 to 14 yr with photometric amplitudes in the range of 5-20 mmag. We found that the distribution of cycle lengths for the different spectral types is similar, as the mean cycle is 9.5 yr for F-type stars, 6.7 yr for G-type stars, 8.5 yr for K-type stars, 6.0 yr for early M-type stars, and 7.1 yr for mid-M-type stars. On the other hand, the distribution of rotation periods is completely different, trending to longer periods for later type stars, from a mean rotation of 8.6 days for F-type stars to 85.4 days in mid-M-type stars. The amplitudes induced by magnetic cycles and rotation show a clear correlation. A trend of photometric amplitudes with rotation period is also outlined in the data. The amplitudes of the photometric variability

Langevin equation with time dependent linear force and periodic load force: stochastic resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sau Fa, Kwok

2017-11-01

The motion of a particle described by the Langevin equation with constant diffusion coefficient, time dependent linear force (ω (1+α \\cos ({ω }1t))x) and periodic load force ({A}0\\cos ({{Ω }}t)) is investigated. Analytical solutions for the probability density function (PDF) and n-moment are obtained and analysed. For {ω }1\\gg α ω the influence of the periodic term α \\cos ({ω }1t) is negligible to the PDF and n-moment for any time; this result shows that the statistical averages such as n-moments and the PDF have no access to some information of the system. For small and intermediate values of {ω }1 the influence of the periodic term α \\cos ({ω }1t) to the system is also analysed; in particular the system may present multiresonance. The solutions are obtained in a direct and pedagogical manner readily understandable by graduate students.

Distribution of 10 periodontal bacterial species in children and adolescents over a 7-year period.

PubMed

Nakano, K; Miyamoto, E; Tamura, K; Nemoto, H; Fujita, K; Nomura, R; Ooshima, T

2008-10-01

There is scant information available regarding the distribution of periodontal bacterial species in children and adolescents over an extended period. The purpose of this study was to compare bacterial profiles in the same individuals over a period of 7 years. Twenty-six children and adolescents from whom dental plaque and saliva specimens were obtained during both the first (1999-2000) and second (2006-2007) periods, were analyzed. Bacterial DNA was extracted from each specimen and the presence of 10 periodontal bacterial species was determined using a PCR method, with a focus on the red complex species of Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia. Subjects with red complex species in saliva specimens obtained during the second collection possessed a significantly higher number of total bacterial species than those without. The detection rate of the red complex species in the second collection period samples was significantly greater in subjects who had two or more species detected in samples taken during the first collection compared with the other subjects. Subjects possessing red complex species may be at possible risk for infection with a high number of periodontal bacterial species during adolescent and younger adult years.

Tracing temperature in a nanometer size region in a picosecond time period.

PubMed

Nakajima, Kaoru; Kitayama, Takumi; Hayashi, Hiroaki; Matsuda, Makoto; Sataka, Masao; Tsujimoto, Masahiko; Toulemonde, Marcel; Bouffard, Serge; Kimura, Kenji

2015-08-21

Irradiation of materials with either swift heavy ions or slow highly charged ions leads to ultrafast heating on a timescale of several picosecond in a region of several nanometer. This ultrafast local heating result in formation of nanostructures, which provide a number of potential applications in nanotechnologies. These nanostructures are believed to be formed when the local temperature rises beyond the melting or boiling point of the material. Conventional techniques, however, are not applicable to measure temperature in such a localized region in a short time period. Here, we propose a novel method for tracing temperature in a nanometer region in a picosecond time period by utilizing desorption of gold nanoparticles around the ion impact position. The feasibility is examined by comparing with the temperature evolution predicted by a theoretical model.

Multiresource allocation and scheduling for periodic soft real-time applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gopalan, Kartik; Chiueh, Tzi-cker

2001-12-01

Real-time applications that utilize multiple system resources, such as CPU, disks, and network links, require coordinated scheduling of these resources in order to meet their end-to-end performance requirements. Most state-of-the-art operating systems support independent resource allocation and deadline-driven scheduling but lack coordination among multiple heterogeneous resources. This paper describes the design and implementation of an Integrated Real-time Resource Scheduler (IRS) that performs coordinated allocation and scheduling of multiple heterogeneous resources on the same machine for periodic soft real-time application. The principal feature of IRS is a heuristic multi-resource allocation algorithm that reserves multiple resources for real-time applications in a manner that can maximize the number of applications admitted into the system in the long run. At run-time, a global scheduler dispatches the tasks of the soft real-time application to individual resource schedulers according to the precedence constraints between tasks. The individual resource schedulers, which could be any deadline based schedulers, can make scheduling decisions locally and yet collectively satisfy a real-time application's performance requirements. The tightness of overall timing guarantees is ultimately determined by the properties of individual resource schedulers. However, IRS maximizes overall system resource utilization efficiency by coordinating deadline assignment across multiple tasks in a soft real-time application.

Monostable traveling waves for a time-periodic and delayed nonlocal reaction-diffusion equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Panxiao; Wu, Shi-Liang

2018-04-01

This paper is concerned with a time-periodic and delayed nonlocal reaction-diffusion population model with monostable nonlinearity. Under quasi-monotone or non-quasi-monotone assumptions, it is known that there exists a critical wave speed c_*>0 such that a periodic traveling wave exists if and only if the wave speed is above c_*. In this paper, we first prove the uniqueness of non-critical periodic traveling waves regardless of whether the model is quasi-monotone or not. Further, in the quasi-monotone case, we establish the exponential stability of non-critical periodic traveling fronts. Finally, we illustrate the main results by discussing two types of death and birth functions arising from population biology.

Individual Patterns of Complexity in Cystic Fibrosis Lung Microbiota, Including Predator Bacteria, over a 1-Year Period.

PubMed

de Dios Caballero, Juan; Vida, Rafael; Cobo, Marta; Máiz, Luis; Suárez, Lucrecia; Galeano, Javier; Baquero, Fernando; Cantón, Rafael; Del Campo, Rosa

2017-09-26

Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung microbiota composition has recently been redefined by the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) tools, identifying, among others, previously undescribed anaerobic and uncultivable bacteria. In the present study, we monitored the fluctuations of this ecosystem in 15 CF patients during a 1-year follow-up period, describing for the first time, as far as we know, the presence of predator bacteria in the CF lung microbiome. In addition, a new computational model was developed to ascertain the hypothetical ecological repercussions of a prey-predator interaction in CF lung microbial communities. Fifteen adult CF patients, stratified according to their pulmonary function into mild ( n = 5), moderate ( n = 9), and severe ( n = 1) disease, were recruited at the CF unit of the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital (Madrid, Spain). Each patient contributed three or four induced sputum samples during a 1-year follow-up period. Lung microbiota composition was determined by both cultivation and NGS techniques and was compared with the patients' clinical variables. Results revealed a particular microbiota composition for each patient that was maintained during the study period, although some fluctuations were detected without any clinical correlation. For the first time, Bdellovibrio and Vampirovibrio predator bacteria were shown in CF lung microbiota and reduced-genome bacterial parasites of the phylum Parcubacteria were also consistently detected. The newly designed computational model allows us to hypothesize that inoculation of predators into the pulmonary microbiome might contribute to the control of chronic colonization by CF pathogens in early colonization stages. IMPORTANCE The application of NGS to sequential samples of CF patients demonstrated the complexity of the organisms present in the lung (156 species) and the constancy of basic individual colonization patterns, although some differences between samples from the same patient were

Musculoskeletal symptoms and job strain among nursing personnel: a study over a three year period.

PubMed Central

Josephson, M; Lagerström, M; Hagberg, M; Wigaeus Hjelm, E

1997-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To examine the variation of symptoms from the neck, shoulders, and back over a three year period among female nursing personnel and the relation between job strain and musculoskeletal symptoms. METHODS: At a county hospital the female nursing personnel answered a questionnaire at baseline and then once a year over a period of three years. There were 565, 553, 562, and 419 subjects who answered the questionnaire at the first, second, third, and fourth survey, respectively. Of the study group, 285 nursing personnel answered the questionnaire on four occasions. Ongoing symptoms of the neck, shoulders, and back were assessed by means of a 10 point (0-9) scale with the verbal end points "no symptoms" and "very intense symptoms." Cases were defined as nursing personnel reporting ongoing symptoms, score > 6, from at least one of the body regions. For assessments of job strain, a Swedish version of Karasek and Theorell's model was used. RESULTS: Of the 285 subjects, 13% were defined as cases at all four assessments, and 46% varied between cases and not cases during the study period. In the repeated cross sectional surveys the estimated rate ratio (RR) for being a case was between 1.1 and 1.5 when comparing the group with job strain and the group without job strain. For the combination of job strain and perceived high physical exertion the estimated RR was between 1.5 and 2.1. When the potential risk factors were assessed one, two, or three years before the assessment of symptoms the estimated RR for becoming a case was between 1.4 and 2.2 when comparing the group with job strain and the group without job strain. CONCLUSION: Almost half of the healthcare workers varied between being a case and not, over a three year period. The analysis indicated that job strain is a risk factor for musculoskeletal symptoms and that the risk is higher when it is combined with perceived high physical exertion. PMID:9423583

Marked depression of time interval between fertilization period and hatching period following exposure to low-dose X-rays in zebrafish.

PubMed

Miyachi, Yukihisa; Kanao, Tomoko; Okamoto, Takehito

2003-10-01

In recent years there has been growing concern over the stimulating effects of very low-dose X-rays. Our laboratory had observed that zebrafish irradiated with low-dose X-rays tended to emerge earlier than sham controls. This observation led us to quantitatively examine the effects of low-dose X irradiation on a series of stages of development in the zebrafish. The embryos were fertilized simultaneously in vitro and incubated at an optimal temperature without crowding. Following exposure of the cleavage period (1.5 h after fertilization) to 0.025-Gy X-rays, the duration to hatching was slightly shorter than that of the sham controls. This tendency was increased when the X-ray exposure occurred during the blastula period (3.5 h). In these embryos, the duration to hatching decreased significantly by an average of 6 h sooner than for sham controls. No differences in duration to hatching were seen when irradiation was given during either the zygote period (45 min) or the segmentation period (12 h). On the contrary, upon exposure to 0.5-Gy X-rays during the blastula period, the duration to hatching increased significantly relative to that of sham controls. These results suggest that the radiation-induced early hatching effect is observed for low doses of X-rays.

Improvement of time-delayed feedback control by periodic modulation: analytical theory of Floquet mode control scheme.

PubMed

Just, Wolfram; Popovich, Svitlana; Amann, Andreas; Baba, Nilüfer; Schöll, Eckehard

2003-02-01

We investigate time-delayed feedback control schemes which are based on the unstable modes of the target state, to stabilize unstable periodic orbits. The periodic time dependence of these modes introduces an external time scale in the control process. Phase shifts that develop between these modes and the controlled periodic orbit may lead to a huge increase of the control performance. We illustrate such a feature on a nonlinear reaction diffusion system with global coupling and give a detailed investigation for the Rössler model. In addition we provide the analytical explanation for the observed control features.

Periodicity and Multi-scale Analysis of Runoff and Sediment Load in the Wulanghe River, Jinsha River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yiming

2018-01-01

Based on the annual runoff and sediment data (1959-2014 ) of Zongguantian hydrological station, time-frequency wavelet transform characteristics and their periodic rules of high and low flow alternating change were analyzed in multi-time scales by the Morlet continue wavelet transformation (CWT). It is concluded that the primary periods of runoff and sediment load time series of the high and low annual flow in the different time scales were 12-year, 3-year and 26-year, 18-year, 13-year, 5-year, respectively, and predicted that the major variant trend of the two time series would been gradually decreasing and been in the high flow period around 8-year (from 2014 to 2022) and 10-year (from 2014 to 2020).

A Study of the Utilization Patterns of an Elementary School-Based Health Clinic over a 5-Year Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Veda; Hutcherson, Valerie

2006-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine the utilization pattern of an elementary school-based clinic over a 5-year period. It involved a retrospective analysis of computer-based data for all patient visits during this study period. Results revealed high clinic utilization with an average of over 5 encounters for all users each year. The most…

A parallelization method for time periodic steady state in simulation of radio frequency sheath dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Deuk-Chul; Shin, Sung-Sik; Yu, Dong-Hun

2017-10-01

In order to reduce the computing time in simulation of radio frequency (rf) plasma sources, various numerical schemes were developed. It is well known that the upwind, exponential, and power-law schemes can efficiently overcome the limitation on the grid size for fluid transport simulations of high density plasma discharges. Also, the semi-implicit method is a well-known numerical scheme to overcome on the simulation time step. However, despite remarkable advances in numerical techniques and computing power over the last few decades, efficient multi-dimensional modeling of low temperature plasma discharges has remained a considerable challenge. In particular, there was a difficulty on parallelization in time for the time periodic steady state problems such as capacitively coupled plasma discharges and rf sheath dynamics because values of plasma parameters in previous time step are used to calculate new values each time step. Therefore, we present a parallelization method for the time periodic steady state problems by using period-slices. In order to evaluate the efficiency of the developed method, one-dimensional fluid simulations are conducted for describing rf sheath dynamics. The result shows that speedup can be achieved by using a multithreading method.

Nonequilibrium steady states and resonant tunneling in time-periodically driven systems with interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, Tao; Hofstetter, Walter

2018-03-01

Time-periodically driven systems are a versatile toolbox for realizing interesting effective Hamiltonians. Heating, caused by excitations to high-energy states, is a challenge for experiments. While most setups so far address the relatively weakly interacting regime, it is of general interest to study heating in strongly correlated systems. Using Floquet dynamical mean-field theory, we study nonequilibrium steady states (NESS) in the Falicov-Kimball model, with time-periodically driven kinetic energy or interaction. We systematically investigate the nonequilibrium properties of the NESS. For a driven kinetic energy, we show that resonant tunneling, where the interaction is an integer multiple of the driving frequency, plays an important role in the heating. In the strongly correlated regime, we show that this can be well understood using Fermi's golden rule and the Schrieffer-Wolff transformation for a time-periodically driven system. We furthermore demonstrate that resonant tunneling can be used to control the population of Floquet states to achieve "photodoping." For driven interactions introduced by an oscillating magnetic field near a widely adopted Feshbach resonance, we find that the double occupancy is strongly modulated. Our calculations apply to shaken ultracold-atom systems and to solid-state systems in a spatially uniform but time-dependent electric field. They are also closely related to lattice modulation spectroscopy. Our calculations are helpful to understand the latest experiments on strongly correlated Floquet systems.

Chromospheric Variability: Analysis of 36 years of Time Series from the National Solar Observatory/Sacramento Peak Ca II K-line Monitoring Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scargle, Jeffrey D.; Keil, Stephen L.; Worden, Simon P.

2014-01-01

Analysis of more than 36 years of time series of seven parameters measured in the NSO/AFRL/Sac Peak K-line monitoring program elucidates five elucidates five components of the variation: (1) the solar cycle (period approx. 11 years), (2) quasi-periodic variations (periods approx 100 days), (3) a broad band stochastic process (wide range of periods), (4) rotational modulation, and (5) random observational errors. Correlation and power spectrum analyses elucidate periodic and aperiodic variation of the chromospheric parameters. Time-frequency analysis illuminates periodic and quasi periodic signals, details of frequency modulation due to differential rotation, and in particular elucidates the rather complex harmonic structure (1) and (2) at time scales in the range approx 0.1 - 10 years. These results using only full-disk data further suggest that similar analyses will be useful at detecting and characterizing differential rotation in stars from stellar light-curves such as those being produced by NASA's Kepler observatory. Component (3) consists of variations over a range of timescales, in the manner of a 1/f random noise process. A timedependent Wilson-Bappu effect appears to be present in the solar cycle variations (1), but not in the stochastic process (3). Component (4) characterizes differential rotation of the active regions, and (5) is of course not characteristic of solar variability, but the fact that the observational errors are quite small greatly facilitates the analysis of the other components. The recent data suggest that the current cycle is starting late and may be relatively weak. The data analyzed in this paper can be found at the National Solar Observatory web site http://nsosp.nso.edu/cak_mon/, or by file transfer protocol at ftp://ftp.nso.edu/idl/cak.parameters.

An infinite branching hierarchy of time-periodic solutions of the Benjamin-Ono equation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wilkening, Jon

2008-07-01

We present a new representation of solutions of the Benjamin-Ono equation that are periodic in space and time. Up to an additive constant and a Galilean transformation, each of these solutions is a previously known, multi-periodic solution; however, the new representation unifies the subset of such solutions with a fixed spatial period and a continuously varying temporal period into a single network of smooth manifolds connected together by an infinite hierarchy of bifurcations. Our representation explicitly describes the evolution of the Fourier modes of the solution as well as the particle trajectories in a meromorphic representation of these solutions; therefore,more » we have also solved the problem of finding periodic solutions of the ordinary differential equation governing these particles, including a description of a bifurcation mechanism for adding or removing particles without destroying periodicity. We illustrate the types of bifurcation that occur with several examples, including degenerate bifurcations not predicted by linearization about traveling waves.« less

Solar wind plasma periodicities observed at 1 AU by IMP 8

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paularena, K. I.; Szabo, A.; Lazarus, A. J.

1995-01-01

The IMP 8 spacecraft has been in Earth orbit since 1973, gathering plasma data over one complete 22-year solar cycle. These data are being examined to look for periodicities at time scales ranging from several hours to the entire span of the data set. A 1.3-year periodicity in the radial speed observed by IMP 8 and Voyager 2 has already been reported for the years from 1987 to 1993. The periodogram method, useful for unevenly sampled data such as the IMP 8 plasma data, has been used to search for other periods. It is interesting to note that the 13-year period is not present in the out-of-the-ecliptic component of the velocity (Vz), although a 1-year period is very obvious both visually and on the periodogram. Both components show a very strong peak associated with the 11-year solar cycle variation. This work will be extended to the thermal speed (a measure of the wind's temperature) and density, although the frequent correlations between these parameters and the velocity are expected to cause similar results. Additionally, the fine resolution data will be examined for shorter time periods than are visible using the hourly average data which are appropriate for longer periods. A comparison with periods observed at other spacecraft may also be made.

[Epidemiologic behavior of malignant digestive tract tumors over a five year period in Veracruz, Mexico].

PubMed

Roesch-Dietlen, F; Jiménez-García, V A; Remes-Troche, J M; Rubio-Arce, J F; López-Salinas, A; Ruiz-Juárez, I; Grube-Pagola, P; Silva-Cañetas, C F

2012-01-01

Tumors of the digestive system are considered to be a public health problem because of their elevated mortality rate. In Mexico, gastric cancer and colon cancer rank fourth and fifth, respectively, following tracheal, bronchial, and lung cancer, and there has been an increase in their frequency in the last few years. However, there are no specific studies that have evaluated their epidemiologic behavior in Veracruz. To determine the frequency of digestive system cancer in five health institutions in the city of Veracruz and to describe its epidemiologic behavior over a five-year period. Annual statistics from the following hospitals were reviewed: the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, the Secretaría de Salud, the Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado, Petróleos Mexicanos, and the Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional within the time frame of January 2005 to December 2009. Diagnoses based on histopathology were recorded, along with patient age and sex. A total of 1803 cases of digestive tract cancers were detected: 52% were men and 48% were women. A yearly increase in the number of cases was observed with colon cancer being in first place, followed by stomach cancer and rectal cancer. The increase in digestive system cancer cases over the last five years in Veracruz underlines the need to evaluate the implementation of screening programs for the at-risk population and to study the different etiologic factors involved in its manifestation.

Evaluating the efficiency of a zakat institution over a period of time using data envelopment analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krishnan, Anath Rau; Hamzah, Ahmad Aizuddin

2017-08-01

It is crucial for a zakat institution to evaluate and understand how efficiently they have operated in the past, thus ideal strategies could be developed for future improvement. However, evaluating the efficiency of a zakat institution is actually a challenging process as it involves the presence of multiple inputs or/and outputs. This paper proposes a step-by-step procedure comprising two data envelopment analysis models, namely dual Charnes-Cooper-Rhodes and slack-based model to quantitatively measure the overall efficiency of a zakat institution over a period of time. The applicability of the proposed procedure was demonstrated by evaluating the efficiency of Pusat Zakat Sabah, Malaysia from the year of 2007 up to 2015 by treating each year as a decision making unit. Two inputs (i.e. number of staff and number of branches) and two outputs (i.e. total collection and total distribution) were used to measure the overall efficiency achieved each year. The causes of inefficiency and strategy for future improvement were discussed based on the results.

Abdominal injuries in a major Scandinavian trauma center – performance assessment over an 8 year period

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Introduction Damage control surgery and damage control resuscitation have reduced mortality in patients with severe abdominal injuries. The shift towards non-operative management in haemodynamically stable patients suffering blunt abdominal trauma has further contributed to the improved results. However, in many countries, low volume of trauma cases and limited exposure to trauma laparotomies constitute a threat to trauma competence. The aim of this study was to evaluate the institutional patient volume and performance for patients with abdominal injuries over an eight-year period. Methods Data from 955 consecutive trauma patients admitted in Oslo University Hospital Ulleval with abdominal injuries during the eight-year period 2002-2009 were retrospectively explored. A separate analysis was performed on all trauma patients undergoing laparotomy during the same period, whether abdominal injuries were identified or not. Variable life-adjusted display (VLAD) was used in order to describe risk-adjusted survival trends throughout the period and the patients admitted before (Period 1) and after (Period 2) the institution of a formal Trauma Service (2005) were compared. Results There was a steady increase in admitted patients with abdominal injuries, while the number of patients undergoing laparotomy was constant exposing the surgical trauma team leaders to an average of 8 trauma laparotomies per year. No increase in missed injuries or failures of non-operative management was detected. Unadjusted mortality rates decreased from period 1 to period 2 for all patients with abdominal injuries as well as for the patients undergoing laparotomy. However, this apparent decrease was not confirmed as significant in TRISS-based analysis of risk-adjusted mortality. VLAD demonstrated a steady performance throughout the study period. Conclusion Even in a high volume trauma center the exposure to abdominal injuries and trauma laparotomies is limited. Due to increasing NOM, an increasing

20 CFR 404.368 - When you are considered a full-time student during a period of nonattendance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false When you are considered a full-time student during a period of nonattendance. 404.368 Section 404.368 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY... intend to resume your studies as a full-time student at the end of the period or at the end of the period...

20 CFR 404.368 - When you are considered a full-time student during a period of nonattendance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false When you are considered a full-time student during a period of nonattendance. 404.368 Section 404.368 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY... intend to resume your studies as a full-time student at the end of the period or at the end of the period...

20 CFR 404.368 - When you are considered a full-time student during a period of nonattendance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false When you are considered a full-time student during a period of nonattendance. 404.368 Section 404.368 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY... intend to resume your studies as a full-time student at the end of the period or at the end of the period...

20 CFR 404.368 - When you are considered a full-time student during a period of nonattendance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false When you are considered a full-time student during a period of nonattendance. 404.368 Section 404.368 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY... intend to resume your studies as a full-time student at the end of the period or at the end of the period...

20 CFR 404.368 - When you are considered a full-time student during a period of nonattendance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false When you are considered a full-time student during a period of nonattendance. 404.368 Section 404.368 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY... intend to resume your studies as a full-time student at the end of the period or at the end of the period...

[Congenital heart disease mortality in Spain during a 10 year period (2003-2012)].

PubMed

Pérez-Lescure Picarzo, Javier; Mosquera González, Margarita; Latasa Zamalloa, Pello; Crespo Marcos, David

2018-05-01

Congenital heart disease is a major cause of infant mortality in developed countries. In Spain, there are no publications at national level on mortality due to congenital heart disease. The aim of this study is to analyse mortality in infants with congenital heart disease, lethality of different types of congenital heart disease, and their variation over a ten-year period. A retrospective observational study was performed to evaluate mortality rate of children under one year old with congenital heart disease, using the minimum basic data set, from 2003 to 2012. Mortality rate and relative risk of mortality were estimated by Poisson regression. There were 2,970 (4.58%) infant deaths in a population of 64,831 patients with congenital heart disease, with 73.8% of deaths occurring during first week of life. Infant mortality rate in patients with congenital heart disease was 6.23 per 10,000 live births, and remained constant during the ten-year period of the study, representing 18% of total infant mortality rate in Spain. The congenital heart diseases with highest mortality rates were hypoplastic left heart syndrome (41.4%), interruption of aortic arch (20%), and total anomalous pulmonary drainage (16.8%). Atrial septal defect (1%) and pulmonary stenosis (1.1%) showed the lowest mortality rate. Congenital heart disease was a major cause of infant mortality with no variations during the study period. The proportion of infants who died in our study was similar to other similar countries. In spite of current medical advances, some forms of congenital heart disease show very high mortality rates. Copyright © 2017 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

30 CFR 250.1161 - When may I flare or vent gas for extended periods of time?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... to development and production of minerals of the OCS. The Regional Supervisor may approve your... for extended periods of time? You must request and receive approval from the Regional Supervisor to flare or vent gas for an extended period of time. The Regional Supervisor will specify the approved...

Increasing Incidence of Herpes Zoster Over a 60-year Period From a Population-based Study

PubMed Central

Kawai, Kosuke; Yawn, Barbara P.; Wollan, Peter; Harpaz, Rafael

2016-01-01

Background. Temporal increases in the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) have been reported but studies have examined short study periods, and the cause of the increase remains unknown. We examined the long-term trend of HZ. Methods. A population-based cohort study was conducted in Olmsted County, Minnesota, using data from 1945–1960 and 1980–2007. Medical records review of possible cases was performed to confirm incident cases of HZ, the patient's immune status, and prescribing of antivirals for HZ. We examined the relative change in the temporal trend in the incidence rates before and after the introduction of the varicella vaccination program. Results. Of the 8017 patients with HZ, 58.7% were females and 6.6% were immunocompromised. The age- and sex-adjusted incidence rate of HZ increased from 0.76 per 1000 person-years (PY) (95% confidence interval [CI], .63–.89) in 1945–1949 to 3.15 per 1000 PY (95% CI, 3.04–3.26) in 2000–2007. The rate of increase across the time period was 2.5% per year after adjusting for age and sex (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.025 [95% CI, 1.023–1.026]; P < .001). The incidence of HZ significantly increased among all age groups and both sexes. We found no change in the rate of increase before vs after the introduction of the varicella vaccination program. Conclusions. The incidence of HZ has increased >4-fold over the last 6 decades. This increase is unlikely to be due to the introduction of varicella vaccination, antiviral therapy, or change in the prevalence of immunocompromised individuals. PMID:27161774

THE VARYING LIGHT CURVE AND TIMINGS OF THE ULTRASHORT-PERIOD CONTACT BINARY KIC 9532219

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lee, Jae Woo; Hong, Kyeongsoo; Koo, Jae-Rim

2016-03-20

KIC 9532219 is a W UMa-type eclipsing binary with an orbital period of 0.1981549 days that is below the short-period limit (∼0.22 days) of the period distribution for contact binaries. The Kepler light curve of the system exhibits striking changes in both eclipse depths and light maxima. Applying third-body and spot effects, the light-curve synthesis indicates that the eclipsing pair is currently in a marginal contact stage with a mass ratio of q = 1.20, an orbital inclination of i = 66.°0, a temperature difference of T{sub 1}–T{sub 2} = 172 K, and a third light of l{sub 3} = 75.9%.more » To understand the light variations with time, we divided up the light curve into 312 segments and analyzed them separately. The results reveal that variation of eclipse depth is primarily caused by changing amounts of contamination due to the nearby star KIC 9532228 between the Kepler Quarters and that the variable O’Connell effect originates from the starspot activity on the less massive primary component. Based on our light-curve timings, a period study of KIC 9532219 indicates that the orbital period has varied as a combination of a downward parabola and a light-travel-time (LTT) effect due to a third body, which has a period of 1196 days and a minimum mass of 0.0892 M{sub ⊙} in an orbit of eccentricity 0.150. The parabolic variation could be a small part of a second LTT orbit due to a fourth component in a wider orbit, instead of either mass transfer or angular momentum loss.« less

Women's health after a first myocardial infarction: a comprehensive perspective on recovery over a 4-year period.

PubMed

Wickholm, Maritha; Fridlund, Bengt

2003-04-01

Little attention has so far been focused on follow ups of women's long-term recovery after a myocardial infarction (MI), especially from a comprehensive perspective. The aim of this study was to prospectively determine women's self-rated health after a first MI from a comprehensive perspective on recovery over a 4-year period. Consecutively chosen women (n=240) who had suffered a first MI were asked to complete a self-rated questionnaire regarding health (including not only biophysical, but also behavioral, emotional, social and working conditions) before being discharged from hospital as well as 1 and 4 years later. The results were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. Health improvements, especially during the first year, could be observed in the women's behavioral condition regarding their attitude to diet consciousness, exercise, simultaneous capability and smoking behavior as well as in the emotional condition regarding their stressful life events, depressed mood and loss of control. In the social condition, the women considered that the healthcare professionals had improved their support over time as well as treating the women's complaints more seriously. Regarding the working condition, the women felt that they were being controlled at work, especially during the first year after the MI. Based on a comprehensive perspective on women's recovery after a first MI, a favorable development of the women's health was observed in the behavioral and emotional conditions while deterioration in the social and working conditions was observed over time. Thus, further efforts are needed in the two latter conditions by means of further studies in combination with greater support from healthcare professionals.

Abundant spontaneous VLFE activities in Cascadia during ETS and inter-ETS time periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, A.; Hutchison, A. A.; Hawthorne, J.

2017-12-01

Very low frequency earthquakes (VLFEs) are discrete seismic events associated with episodic tremor and slip (ETS) events. They are rich in 20-50s energy and depleted in higher frequencies compared to regular local earthquakes of similar magnitudes. VLFEs can be as large as Mw 4.0, and potentially release much more seismic moment than the tremor/LFE activities, making them a critical event determining stress evolution during slow earthquakes [Ghosh et al., 2015]. Their underlying physics and relationship with tremor/LFE, however, are still unclear. In Cascadia, the majority of the VLFEs found so far are clustered near the areas of high geodetic slip during ETS events [Ghosh et al., 2015; Hutchison and Ghosh, 2016]. Interestingly, we found VLFE activity has its own dynamics and can occur independent of tremor/LFE activity. For example, during the 2014 ETS event in northern Cascadia, VLFEs are found to be asynchronous with tremor activity, both in space and time [Hutchison and Ghosh, 2016]. We use a matched filter technique to detect thousands of VLFEs over an ETS-cycle, and perhaps more interestingly, even between ETS events. VLFE activities peak during ETS events, but significant VLFE activity is detected during the inter-ETS time period. Analyses of strainmeter data near the VLFE locations suggest statistically significant strain rate increases during VLFE time periods compared to the background. We suggest that VLFE is a distinct type of seismic radiation different from tremor/LFE, and can operate independently from tremor activities. This is in contrast to a model suggesting that VLFE signals may be a result of many LFE signals arriving at seismic stations in a short time period [Gomberg et al., 2016]. We are making a consistent catalog of VLFE in Cascadia for longer time period. Systematic study of VLFEs is going to provide new insights into the mechanism of slow earthquakes and its relationship with tremor/LFE and slow slip.

Passive magnetic bearing systems stabilizer/bearing utilizing time-averaging of a periodic magnetic field

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Post, Richard F.

A high-stiffness stabilizer/bearings for passive magnetic bearing systems is provide where the key to its operation resides in the fact that when the frequency of variation of the repelling forces of the periodic magnet array is large compared to the reciprocal of the growth time of the unstable motion, the rotating system will feel only the time-averaged value of the force. When the time-averaged value of the force is radially repelling by the choice of the geometry of the periodic magnet array, the Earnshaw-related unstable hit motion that would occur at zero rotational speed is suppressed when the system ismore » rotating at operating speeds.« less

Depression and suicidality during the postpartum period after first time deliveries, active component service women and dependent spouses, U.S. Armed Forces, 2007-2012.

PubMed

Do, Tai; Hu, Zheng; Otto, Jean; Rohrbeck, Patricia

2013-09-01

Although suicide is a leading cause of death among new mothers during the postpartum period, there has been limited research on self-harm in the postpartum period and associated risk factors. One potential risk factor for suicidality (completed suicides, suicide attempts, and suicide ideation including thoughts of self harm) during the postpartum period is postpartum depression (PPD). In this study of women who gave birth for the first time between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2011, 5,267 (9.9% of all who delivered) active component service women and 10,301 (8.2%) dependent spouses received incident PPD diagnoses during the one year postpartum period; 213 (0.4%) service women and 221 (0.2%) dependent spouses were diagnosed with incident suicidality. After adjusting for the effects of other covariates, service women with PPD had 42.2 times the odds to be diagnosed with suicidality in the postpartum period compared to service women without PPD; dependent spouses with PPD had 14.5 times the odds compared to those without PPD. The findings of this report suggest that a history of mental disorders was common among service women and dependent spouses with PPD in the postpartum period, and, in turn, PPD was a strong predictor for suicidality in the postpartum period. These results emphasize the importance of PPD screening during the postpartum period. They also suggest that additional focused screening for suicidal behavior among those already diagnosed with PPD may be warranted.

Part-Time Faculty in 2-Year Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education Newsletter, 1977

1977-01-01

Recognition clauses of negotiated faculty contracts from 139 two-year colleges were analyzed to determine the extent to which part-time faculty are included in the bargaining unit, and to examine contract references to part-time faculty. Approximately one-half (71) of the contracts did not include part-time faculty as members. Exclusion was either…

Differences in night-time and daytime ambulatory blood pressure when diurnal periods are defined by self-report, fixed-times, and actigraphy: Improving the Detection of Hypertension study.

PubMed

Booth, John N; Muntner, Paul; Abdalla, Marwah; Diaz, Keith M; Viera, Anthony J; Reynolds, Kristi; Schwartz, Joseph E; Shimbo, Daichi

2016-02-01

To determine whether defining diurnal periods by self-report, fixed-time, or actigraphy produce different estimates of night-time and daytime ambulatory blood pressure (ABP). Over a median of 28 days, 330 participants completed two 24-h ABP and actigraphy monitoring periods with sleep diaries. Fixed night-time and daytime periods were defined as 0000-0600 h and 1000-2000 h, respectively. Using the first ABP period, within-individual differences for mean night-time and daytime ABP and kappa statistics for night-time and daytime hypertension (systolic/diastolic ABP≥120/70 mmHg and ≥135/85 mmHg, respectively) were estimated comparing self-report, fixed-time, or actigraphy for defining diurnal periods. Reproducibility of ABP was also estimated. Within-individual mean differences in night-time systolic ABP were small, suggesting little bias, when comparing the three approaches used to define diurnal periods. The distribution of differences, represented by 95% confidence intervals (CI), in night-time systolic and diastolic ABP and daytime systolic and diastolic ABP was narrowest for self-report versus actigraphy. For example, mean differences (95% CI) in night-time systolic ABP for self-report versus fixed-time was -0.53 (-6.61, +5.56) mmHg, self-report versus actigraphy was 0.91 (-3.61, +5.43) mmHg, and fixed-time versus actigraphy was 1.43 (-5.59, +8.46) mmHg. Agreement for night-time and daytime hypertension was highest for self-report versus actigraphy: kappa statistic (95% CI) = 0.91 (0.86,0.96) and 1.00 (0.98,1.00), respectively. The reproducibility of mean ABP and hypertension categories was similar using each approach. Given the high agreement with actigraphy, these data support using self-report to define diurnal periods on ABP monitoring. Further, the use of fixed-time periods may be a reasonable alternative approach.

Children Treated for Nocturnal Enuresis: Characteristics and Trends over a 15-Year Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kushnir, Jonathan; Kushnir, Baruch; Sadeh, Avi

2013-01-01

Background: Nocturnal Enuresis (NE) is one of the most prevalent childhood disorders and has significant negative psychosocial impact on the child and family. Objective: To assess the characteristics of children with NE and trends over a 15-year period. Methods: The study included 18,677 children [11,205 (60%) boys and 7,472 (40%) girls] referred…

Practitioners' Perceptions of the Soccer Extra-Time Period: Implications for Future Research.

PubMed

Harper, Liam D; Fothergill, Melissa; West, Daniel J; Stevenson, Emma; Russell, Mark

2016-01-01

Qualitative research investigating soccer practitioners' perceptions can allow researchers to create practical research investigations. The extra-time period of soccer is understudied compared to other areas of soccer research. Using an open-ended online survey containing eleven main and nine sub questions, we gathered the perceptions of extra-time from 46 soccer practitioners, all working for different professional soccer clubs. Questions related to current practices, views on extra-time regulations, and ideas for future research. Using inductive content analysis, the following general dimensions were identified: 'importance of extra-time', 'rule changes', 'efficacy of extra-time hydro-nutritional provision', 'nutritional timing', 'future research directions', 'preparatory modulations' and 'recovery'. The majority of practitioners (63%) either agreed or strongly agreed that extra-time is an important period for determining success in knockout football match-play. When asked if a fourth substitution should be permitted in extra-time, 67% agreed. The use of hydro-nutritional strategies prior to extra-time was predominately considered important or very important. However; only 41% of practitioners felt that it was the most important time point for the use of nutritional products. A similar number of practitioners account (50%) and do not (50%) account for the potential of extra-time when training and preparing players and 89% of practitioners stated that extra-time influences recovery practices following matches. In the five minute break prior to extra-time, the following practices (in order of priority) were advocated to players: hydration, energy provision, massage, and tactical preparations. Additionally, 87% of practitioners advocate a particular nutritional supplementation strategy prior to extra-time. In order of importance, practitioners see the following as future research areas: nutritional interventions, fatigue responses, acute injury risk, recovery

Remembrance and time passed: Memory outcomes 4-11 years after pediatric epilepsy surgery.

PubMed

Puka, Klajdi; Smith, Mary Lou

2016-11-01

Little is known about the long-term cognitive outcomes following pediatric epilepsy surgery. Although the evidence for change within the first 2 years is not compelling, the plasticity of the immature brain may allow for improvements in the long term. This study examined memory function in a cohort of surgical and nonsurgical patients at baseline and 4-11 years after. Participants were 88 patients (mean age 20.05, standard deviation [SD] 4.21 years) with childhood-onset intractable epilepsy; 53 had undergone resective epilepsy surgery. Verbal and visual memory were assessed at baseline and follow-up using standardized tests of recall of stories, faces, word pairs, and word lists. Improvements over time were not found; outcomes were largely independent of surgical status. Those who were seizure-free at follow-up had better story recall at both times (p = 0.028), and did not show improvement. Among patients with extratemporal lobe epilepsy, significant declines in word list recall were found over time irrespective of surgical or seizure status (p = 0.010). Effects of laterality of seizure focus were evident only when examining patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE); patients with left TLE had lower story recall scores compared to patients with right TLE at long-term follow-up (p = 0.043). Patients who became seizure-free had some advantages in memory, but did not show improvements over time. These findings have important implications for understanding potential outcomes from surgery or continued use of antiepileptic medications. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International League Against Epilepsy.

Cognitive changes in people with temporal lobe epilepsy over a 13-year period.

PubMed

Mameniškienė, Rūta; Rimšienė, Justė; Puronaitė, Roma

2016-10-01

The aims of our study were to evaluate cognitive decline in people with temporal lobe epilepsy over a period of 13years and to determine what clinical and treatment characteristics may have been associated with these. Thirty-three individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy underwent the same neuropsychological assessment of verbal and nonverbal memory, attention, and executive functions using the same cognitive test battery as one used 13years ago. Long-term verbal and nonverbal memory was tested four weeks later. Results were compared with those carried out 13years earlier. There was no significant change in verbal and verbal-logical memory tests; however, nonverbal memory worsened significantly. Long-term verbal memory declined for 21.9% of participants, long-term verbal-logical memory for 34.4%, and long-term nonverbal memory for 56.3%. Worsening of working verbal and verbal-logical memory was associated with longer epilepsy duration and lower levels of patients' education; worsening of verbal delayed recall and long-term verbal-logical memory was associated with higher seizure frequency. Decline in long-term nonverbal memory had significant association with a longer duration of epilepsy. The worsening of reaction and attention inversely correlated with the symptoms of depression. Over a 13-year period, cognitive functions did not change significantly. Good seizure control and reduced symptoms of depression in this sample of people with temporal lobe epilepsy were associated with better cognitive functioning. The predictors of change of cognitive functions could be complex and require further study. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Medical and non-medical predictors of initiating long-term use of proton pump inhibitors: a nationwide cohort study of first-time users during a 10-year period.

PubMed

Haastrup, P F; Paulsen, M S; Christensen, R D; Søndergaard, J; Hansen, J M; Jarbøl, D E

2016-07-01

Studies of the increasing use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) have mainly focused on prevalent long-term use and associations with gastrointestinal morbidity and comedication. Little is known about non-medical characteristics of first-time users of PPI, and predictors of initiating long-term use of PPIs. To describe medical and non-medical characteristics of first-time PPI users during a 10-year period and to analyse predictors of initiation of long-term use (>60 defined daily doses (DDDs) within 6 months) of PPIs. A nationwide cohort study of first-time users of PPI. Data were collected from Danish national registers. Individuals redeeming their first prescription for a PPI (omeprazole, lansoprazole, pantoprazole, rabeprazole, esomeprazole) in 2001 and 2011 were identified. Redemption of more than 60 DDDs of PPI within 6 months defined long-term use. Logistic regression models were used to determine the associations between previous diagnoses, comedication and socio-economic characteristics and initiation of long-term use of PPIs in 2011. From 2001 to 2011 incidence of first-time users increased with an incidence rate ratio of 1.53 and mean quantity of PPI redeemed at first prescription increased by 44.6%. In 2011 a total of 37.6% redeemed >60 DDDs within 6 months, and 96% of the long-term users did not have a diagnosis registered which indicated treatment. New onset long-term use was significantly associated with low income and low educational level when adjusting for other predisposing variables. Proton pump inhibitor treatment is increasingly initiated with larger quantities prescribed for indications that are unidentifiable from the registers. Morbidity and comedication seem to be the strongest predictors of new onset long-term use of PPIs. However, there is also an independent social gradient. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mars exploration, Venus swingby and conjunction class mission modes, time period 2000 to 2045

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Young, A. C.; Mulqueen, J. A.; Skinner, J. E.

1984-01-01

Trajectory and mission requirement data are presented for Earth-Mars opposition class and conjunction class round trip stopover mission opportunities available during the time period year 2000 to year 2045. The opposition class mission employs the gravitational field of Venus to accelerate the space vehicle on either the outbound or inbound leg. The gravitational field of Venus was used to reduce the propulsion requirement associated with the opposition class mission. Representative space vehicle systems are sized to compare the initial mass required in low Earth orbit of one mission opportunity with another mission opportunity. The interplanetary space vehicle is made up of the spacecraft and the space vehicle acceleration system. The space vehicle acceleration system consists of three propulsion stages. The first propulsion stage performs the Earth escape maneuver; the second stage brakes the spacecraft and Earth braking stage into the Mars elliptical orbit and effects the escape maneuver from the Mars elliptical orbit. The third propulsion stage brakes the mission module into an elliptical orbit at Earth return. The interplanetary space vehicle was assumed to be assembled in and depart from the space station circular orbit.

Computing return times or return periods with rare event algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lestang, Thibault; Ragone, Francesco; Bréhier, Charles-Edouard; Herbert, Corentin; Bouchet, Freddy

2018-04-01

The average time between two occurrences of the same event, referred to as its return time (or return period), is a useful statistical concept for practical applications. For instance insurances or public agencies may be interested by the return time of a 10 m flood of the Seine river in Paris. However, due to their scarcity, reliably estimating return times for rare events is very difficult using either observational data or direct numerical simulations. For rare events, an estimator for return times can be built from the extrema of the observable on trajectory blocks. Here, we show that this estimator can be improved to remain accurate for return times of the order of the block size. More importantly, we show that this approach can be generalised to estimate return times from numerical algorithms specifically designed to sample rare events. So far those algorithms often compute probabilities, rather than return times. The approach we propose provides a computationally extremely efficient way to estimate numerically the return times of rare events for a dynamical system, gaining several orders of magnitude of computational costs. We illustrate the method on two kinds of observables, instantaneous and time-averaged, using two different rare event algorithms, for a simple stochastic process, the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process. As an example of realistic applications to complex systems, we finally discuss extreme values of the drag on an object in a turbulent flow.

Timing of intra-aortic balloon pump support and 1-year survival.

PubMed

Ramnarine, Ian R; Grayson, Antony D; Dihmis, Walid C; Mediratta, Neeraj K; Fabri, Brian M; Chalmers, John A C

2005-05-01

The relationship between the timing of intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) support and surgical outcome remains a subject of debate. Peri-operative mechanical circulatory support is commenced either prophylactically or after increasing inotropic support has proved inadequate. This study evaluates the effect timing of IABP support on the 1-year survival of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. From April 1997 to September 2002, 7698 consecutive cardiac surgical procedures were performed. This included 5678 isolated coronary artery bypasses (CABGs), 1245 isolated valve procedures and 775 simultaneous CABG and valve procedures. IABP support was required in 237 patients (3.1%). Twenty-seven patients (0.35%) were classed as high-risk and received preoperative IABP support, 25 patients (0.32%) were haemodynamically compromised and required preoperative IABP support, 120 patients (1.56%) required intra-operative IABP support, and 65 patients (0.84%) required post-operative IABP support. Multiple variables were offered to a Cox proportional hazards model and significant predictors of 1-year survival were identified. These were used to risk adjust Kaplan-Meier survival curves. 1-year follow-up was complete and 450 deaths (5.8%) were recorded. The significant independent predictors of increased mortality at 1-year (P<0.05, HR=hazard ratio) were post-operative renal failure (HR=3.5), increasing EuroSCORE (HR=1.2), post-operative myocardial infarction (HR=3.7), post-operative IABP (HR=4.1) intra-operative IABP (HR=2.8), post-operative stroke (HR=2.5), increasing number of valves (HR=1.6), ejection fraction <30% (HR=1.3) and triple-vessel disease (HR=1.3). After risk-adjustment, 1-year survival for patients who required intra-operative IABP support was significantly greater than for those patients who required IABP support in the post-operative period. Patients who warrant IABP support in the post-operative setting have a significantly increased mortality at 1-year when compared to

Developing new mathematical method for search of the time series periodicity with deletions and insertions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korotkov, E. V.; Korotkova, M. A.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to detect latent periodicity in the presence of deletions or insertions in the analyzed data, when the points of deletions or insertions are unknown. A mathematical method was developed to search for periodicity in the numerical series, using dynamic programming and random matrices. The developed method was applied to search for periodicity in the Euro/Dollar (Eu/) exchange rate, since 2001. The presence of periodicity within the period length equal to 24 h in the analyzed financial series was shown. Periodicity can be detected only with insertions and deletions. The results of this study show that periodicity phase shifts, depend on the observation time. The reasons for the existence of the periodicity in the financial ranks are discussed.

Patterns of objectively measured sedentary time in 10- to 12-year-old Belgian children: an observational study within the ENERGY-project.

PubMed

Verloigne, Maïté; Ridgers, Nicola D; Chinapaw, Mai; Altenburg, Teatske M; Bere, Elling; Van Lippevelde, Wendy; Cardon, Greet; Brug, Johannes; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse

2017-06-14

This study examined the frequency of and differences in sedentary bouts of different durations and the total time spent in sedentary bouts on a weekday, a weekend day, during school hours, during after-school hours and in the evening period in a sample of 10- to 12-year-old Belgian children. Accelerometer data were collected as part of the ENERGY-project in Belgium (n = 577, 10.9 ± 0.7 years, 53% girls) in 2011. Differences in total sedentary time, sedentary bouts of 2-5, 5-10, 10-20, 20-30 and ≥30 min and total time accumulated in those bouts were examined on a weekday, a weekend day, during school hours, during after-school hours and in the evening period, using multilevel analyses in MLwiN 2.22. More than 60% of the participants' waking time was spent sedentary. Children typically engaged in short sedentary bouts of 2-5 and 5-10 min, which contributed almost 50% towards their total daily sedentary time. Although the differences were very small, children engaged in significantly fewer sedentary bouts of nearly all durations during after-school hours compared to during school hours and in the evening period. Children also engaged in significantly fewer sedentary bouts of 5-10, 10-20, and 20-30 min per hour on a weekend day than on a weekday. Although primary school children spend more than 60% of their waking time sedentary, they generally engaged in short sedentary bouts. Children's sedentary bouts were slightly longer on weekdays, particularly during school hours and in the evening period, although the differences were very small. These results suggest that in this age group, interventions focusing on reducing total sedentary time rather than interrupting prolonged sedentary time are needed.

26 CFR 1.676(b)-1 - Powers exercisable only after a period of time.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... would not be treated as the owner of that portion, except as power were a reversionary interest. See... period unless the power is relinquished. Thus, in the above example, the grantor may be treated as the... 26 Internal Revenue 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Powers exercisable only after a period of time...

Rank One Strange Attractors in Periodically Kicked Predator-Prey System with Time-Delay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wenjie; Lin, Yiping; Dai, Yunxian; Zhao, Huitao

2016-06-01

This paper is devoted to the study of the problem of rank one strange attractor in a periodically kicked predator-prey system with time-delay. Our discussion is based on the theory of rank one maps formulated by Wang and Young. Firstly, we develop the rank one chaotic theory to delayed systems. It is shown that strange attractors occur when the delayed system undergoes a Hopf bifurcation and encounters an external periodic force. Then we use the theory to the periodically kicked predator-prey system with delay, deriving the conditions for Hopf bifurcation and rank one chaos along with the results of numerical simulations.

[Fatal poisonings during a 5-year period in Eastern Denmark].

PubMed

Worm, K; Steentoft, A; Toft, J

1999-11-29

In the period 1992-1996, both years included, 1079 cases of deaths from poisoning by drugs or poisons were found by forensic-chemical analyses at The Institute of Forensic Medicine, Dept. of Forensic Chemistry, in Copenhagen, covering a population of 2.4 million. Morphine was by far the most frequently occurring compound accounting for 421 deaths, followed by methadone with 185 deaths. Then alcohol, ketobemidone, and carbon monoxide were represented with 80, 74 and 66 deaths, respectively. Drug addicts dominated in the survey with 549 cases. According to Danish law, autopsy with following chemical analyses must be performed on all dead drug addicts, whereas many other deaths by poisoning are defined only from the medicine found in the vicinity of the dead body.

Practitioners' Perceptions of the Soccer Extra-Time Period: Implications for Future Research

PubMed Central

Harper, Liam D.; Fothergill, Melissa; West, Daniel J.; Stevenson, Emma; Russell, Mark

2016-01-01

Qualitative research investigating soccer practitioners’ perceptions can allow researchers to create practical research investigations. The extra-time period of soccer is understudied compared to other areas of soccer research. Using an open-ended online survey containing eleven main and nine sub questions, we gathered the perceptions of extra-time from 46 soccer practitioners, all working for different professional soccer clubs. Questions related to current practices, views on extra-time regulations, and ideas for future research. Using inductive content analysis, the following general dimensions were identified: ‘importance of extra-time’, ‘rule changes’, ‘efficacy of extra-time hydro-nutritional provision’, ‘nutritional timing’, ‘future research directions’, ‘preparatory modulations’ and ‘recovery’. The majority of practitioners (63%) either agreed or strongly agreed that extra-time is an important period for determining success in knockout football match-play. When asked if a fourth substitution should be permitted in extra-time, 67% agreed. The use of hydro-nutritional strategies prior to extra-time was predominately considered important or very important. However; only 41% of practitioners felt that it was the most important time point for the use of nutritional products. A similar number of practitioners account (50%) and do not (50%) account for the potential of extra-time when training and preparing players and 89% of practitioners stated that extra-time influences recovery practices following matches. In the five minute break prior to extra-time, the following practices (in order of priority) were advocated to players: hydration, energy provision, massage, and tactical preparations. Additionally, 87% of practitioners advocate a particular nutritional supplementation strategy prior to extra-time. In order of importance, practitioners see the following as future research areas: nutritional interventions, fatigue responses

Mortality from Cardiovascular Diseases in the Elderly: Comparative Analysis of Two Five-year Periods

PubMed Central

Piuvezam, Grasiela; Medeiros, Wilton Rodrigues; Costa, Andressa Vellasco; Emerenciano, Felipe Fonseca; Santos, Renata Cristina; Seabra, Danilo Silveira

2015-01-01

Background Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in Brazil. The better understanding of the spatial and temporal distribution of mortality from cardiovascular diseases in the Brazilian elderly population is essential to support more appropriate health actions for each region of the country. Objective To describe and to compare geospatially the rates of mortality from cardiovascular disease in elderly individuals living in Brazil by gender in two 5-year periods: 1996 to 2000 and 2006 to 2010. Methods This is an ecological study, for which rates of mortality were obtained from DATASUS and the population rates from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística). An average mortality rate for cardiovascular disease in elderly by gender was calculated for each period. The spatial autocorrelation was evaluated by TerraView 4.2.0 through global Moran index and the formation of clusters by the index of local Moran-LISA. Results There was an increase, in the second 5-year period, in the mortality rates in the Northeast and North regions, parallel to a decrease in the South, South-East and Midwest regions. Moreover, there was the formation of clusters with high mortality rates in the second period in Roraima among females, and in Ceará, Pernambuco and Roraima among males. Conclusion The increase in mortality rates in the North and Northeast regions is probably related to the changing profile of mortality and improvement in the quality of information, a result of the increase in surveillance and health care measures in these regions. PMID:26559984

Dealing with periodical loads and harmonics in operational modal analysis using time-varying transmissibility functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weijtjens, Wout; Lataire, John; Devriendt, Christof; Guillaume, Patrick

2014-12-01

Periodical loads, such as waves and rotating machinery, form a problem for operational modal analysis (OMA). In OMA only the vibrations of a structure of interest are measured and little to nothing is known about the loads causing these vibrations. Therefore, it is often assumed that all dynamics in the measured data are linked to the system of interest. Periodical loads defy this assumption as their periodical behavior is often visible within the measured vibrations. As a consequence most OMA techniques falsely associate the dynamics of the periodical load with the system of interest. Without additional information about the load, one is not able to correctly differentiate between structural dynamics and the dynamics of the load. In several applications, e.g. turbines and helicopters, it was observed that because of periodical loads one was unable to correctly identify one or multiple modes. Transmissibility based OMA (TOMA) is a completely different approach to OMA. By using transmissibility functions to estimate the structural dynamics of the system of interest, all influence of the load-spectrum can be eliminated. TOMA therefore allows to identify the modal parameters without being influenced by the presence of periodical loads, such as harmonics. One of the difficulties of TOMA is that the analyst is required to find two independent datasets, each associated with a different loading condition of the system of interest. This poses a dilemma for TOMA; how can an analyst identify two different loading conditions when little is known about the loads on the system? This paper tackles that problem by assuming that the loading conditions vary continuously over time, e.g. the changing wind directions. From this assumption TOMA is developed into a time-varying framework. This development allows TOMA to not only cope with the continuously changing loading conditions. The time-varying framework also enables the identification of the modal parameters from a single dataset

Stability of horizontal viscous fluid layers in a vertical arbitrary time periodic electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bandopadhyay, Aditya; Hardt, Steffen

2017-12-01

The stability of a horizontal interface between two viscous fluids, one of which is conducting and the other is dielectric, acted upon by a vertical time-periodic electric field is considered theoretically. The two fluids are bounded by electrodes separated by a finite distance. For an applied ac electric field, the unstable interface deforms in a time periodic manner, owing to the time dependent Maxwell stress, and is characterized by the oscillation frequency which may or may not be the same as the frequency of the ac electric field. The stability curve, which relates the critical voltage, manifested through the Mason number—the ratio of normal electric stress and viscous stress, and the instability wavenumber at the onset of the instability, is obtained by means of the Floquet theory for a general arbitrary time periodic electric field. The limit of vanishing viscosities is shown to be in excellent agreement with the marginal stability curves predicted by means of a Mathieu equation. The influence of finite viscosity and electrode separation is discussed in relation to the ideal case of inviscid fluids. The methodology to obtain the marginal stability curves developed here is applicable to any arbitrary but time periodic signal, as demonstrated for the case of a signal with two different frequencies, and four different frequencies with a dc offset. The mode coupling in the interfacial normal stress leads to appearance of harmonic and subharmonic modes, characterized by the frequency of the oscillating interface at an integral or half-integral multiple of the applied frequency, respectively. This is in contrast to the application of a voltage with a single frequency which always leads to a harmonic mode oscillation of the interface. Whether a harmonic or subharmonic mode is the most unstable one depends on details of the excitation signal.

Homosexual Pornography: Trends in Content and Form over a Twenty-Five Year Period.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Celline, Harold B.; Duncan, David F.

1988-01-01

Conducted qualitative content analysis to examine homosexual pornography on sale in adult bookstores during four time periods: 1960-1969, 1970-1974, 1975-1979, and 1980-1984. Results revealed four trends: less tendency to disguise homosexual pornography, increasingly explicit sexual content, increasing emphasis on physical attractiveness of…

Time series modelling of increased soil temperature anomalies during long period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shirvani, Amin; Moradi, Farzad; Moosavi, Ali Akbar

2015-10-01

Soil temperature just beneath the soil surface is highly dynamic and has a direct impact on plant seed germination and is probably the most distinct and recognisable factor governing emergence. Autoregressive integrated moving average as a stochastic model was developed to predict the weekly soil temperature anomalies at 10 cm depth, one of the most important soil parameters. The weekly soil temperature anomalies for the periods of January1986-December 2011 and January 2012-December 2013 were taken into consideration to construct and test autoregressive integrated moving average models. The proposed model autoregressive integrated moving average (2,1,1) had a minimum value of Akaike information criterion and its estimated coefficients were different from zero at 5% significance level. The prediction of the weekly soil temperature anomalies during the test period using this proposed model indicated a high correlation coefficient between the observed and predicted data - that was 0.99 for lead time 1 week. Linear trend analysis indicated that the soil temperature anomalies warmed up significantly by 1.8°C during the period of 1986-2011.

Hydrazine levels in formulations of hydralazine, isoniazid, and phenelzine over a 2-year period.

PubMed

Lovering, E G; Matsui, F; Curran, N M; Robertson, D L; Sears, R W

1983-08-01

Hydrazine levels in formulations of hydralazine, isoniazid, and phenelzine have been measured over a 2-year period under ambient conditions and under temperature and humidity stress. Hydralazine tablets are stable under ambient conditions, but the hydrazine level in an injectable formulation increased from 4.5 to 10 micrograms/ml over a 23-month period. Isoniazid tablets are also stable, but hydrazine levels in an elixir and a pyridoxine combination product doubled to 44 micrograms/ml and 19 micrograms/tablet, respectively. Levels in phenelzine tablets appeared to remain constant at approximately 60 micrograms/tablet, with considerable tablet-to-tablet variation.

Using interrupted time series design to analyze changes in hand, foot, and mouth disease incidence during the declining incidence periods of 2008-2010 in China.

PubMed

Yu, Shi Cheng; Hao, Yuan Tao; Zhang, Jing; Xiao, Ge Xin; Liu, Zhuang; Zhu, Qi; Ma, Jia Qi; Wang, Yu

2012-12-01

To identify patterns of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) incidence in China during declining incidence periods of 2008, 2009, and 2010. Reported HFMD cases over a period of 25 months were extracted from the National Disease Reporting System (NDRS) and analyzed. An interrupted time series (ITS) technique was used to detect changes in HFMD incidence rates in terms of level and slope between declining incidence periods of the three years. Over 3.58 million HFMD cases younger than 5 years were reported to the NDRS between May 1, 2008, and May 31, 2011. Males comprised 63.4% of the cases. ITS analyses demonstrated a significant increase in incidence rate level (P<0.0001) when comparing the current period with the previous period. There were significant changes in declining slopes when comparing 2010 to 2009, and 2010 to 2008 (all P<0.005), but not 2009 to 2008. Incremental changes in incidence rate level during the declining incidence periods of 2009 and 2010 can potentially be attributed to a few factors. The more steeply declining slope in 2010 compared with previous years could be ascribed to the implementation of more effective interventions and preventive strategies in 2010. Further investigation is required to examine this possibility. Copyright © 2012 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Time-varying singular value decomposition for periodic transient identification in bearing fault diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Shangbin; Lu, Siliang; He, Qingbo; Kong, Fanrang

2016-09-01

For rotating machines, the defective faults of bearings generally are represented as periodic transient impulses in acquired signals. The extraction of transient features from signals has been a key issue for fault diagnosis. However, the background noise reduces identification performance of periodic faults in practice. This paper proposes a time-varying singular value decomposition (TSVD) method to enhance the identification of periodic faults. The proposed method is inspired by the sliding window method. By applying singular value decomposition (SVD) to the signal under a sliding window, we can obtain a time-varying singular value matrix (TSVM). Each column in the TSVM is occupied by the singular values of the corresponding sliding window, and each row represents the intrinsic structure of the raw signal, namely time-singular-value-sequence (TSVS). Theoretical and experimental analyses show that the frequency of TSVS is exactly twice that of the corresponding intrinsic structure. Moreover, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of TSVS is improved significantly in comparison with the raw signal. The proposed method takes advantages of the TSVS in noise suppression and feature extraction to enhance fault frequency for diagnosis. The effectiveness of the TSVD is verified by means of simulation studies and applications to diagnosis of bearing faults. Results indicate that the proposed method is superior to traditional methods for bearing fault diagnosis.

Epidemic of fractures during a period of snow and ice: has anything changed 33 years on?

PubMed Central

Al-Azzani, Waheeb; Adam Maliq Mak, Danial; Hodgson, Paul; Williams, Rhodri

2016-01-01

Objectives We reproduced a frequently cited study that was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 1981 assessing the extent of ‘snow-and-ice’ fractures during the winter period. Setting This study aims to provide an insight into how things have changed within the same emergency department (ED) by comparing the findings of the BMJ paper published 33 years ago with the present date. Participants As per the original study, all patients presenting to the ED with a radiological evidence of fracture during three different 4-day periods were included. The three 4-day periods included 4 days of snow-and-ice conditions and two control 4-day periods when snow and ice was not present; the first was 4 days within the same year, with a similar amount of sunshine hours, and the second was 4 days 1 calendar year later. Primary and secondary outcome measures To identify the frequency, distribution and pattern of fractures sustained in snow-and-ice conditions compared to control conditions as well as comparisons with the index study 33 years ago. Results A total of 293 patients with fractures were identified. Overall, there was a 2.20 (CI 1.7 to 3.0, p <0.01) increase in risk of fracture during snow-and-ice periods compared to control conditions. There was an increase (p <0.01) of fractures of the arm, forearm and wrist (RR 3.2 (CI 1.4 to 7.6) and 2.9 (CI 1.5 to 5.4) respectively). Conclusions While the relative risk was not of the magnitude 33 years ago, the overall number of patients presenting with a fracture during snow-and-ice conditions remains more than double compared to control conditions. This highlights the need for improved understanding of the impact of increased fracture burden on hospitals and more effective preventative measures. PMID:27630066

Epidemic of fractures during a period of snow and ice: has anything changed 33 years on?

PubMed

Al-Azzani, Waheeb; Adam Maliq Mak, Danial; Hodgson, Paul; Williams, Rhodri

2016-09-14

We reproduced a frequently cited study that was published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 1981 assessing the extent of 'snow-and-ice' fractures during the winter period. This study aims to provide an insight into how things have changed within the same emergency department (ED) by comparing the findings of the BMJ paper published 33 years ago with the present date. As per the original study, all patients presenting to the ED with a radiological evidence of fracture during three different 4-day periods were included. The three 4-day periods included 4 days of snow-and-ice conditions and two control 4-day periods when snow and ice was not present; the first was 4 days within the same year, with a similar amount of sunshine hours, and the second was 4 days 1 calendar year later. To identify the frequency, distribution and pattern of fractures sustained in snow-and-ice conditions compared to control conditions as well as comparisons with the index study 33 years ago. A total of 293 patients with fractures were identified. Overall, there was a 2.20 (CI 1.7 to 3.0, p <0.01) increase in risk of fracture during snow-and-ice periods compared to control conditions. There was an increase (p <0.01) of fractures of the arm, forearm and wrist (RR 3.2 (CI 1.4 to 7.6) and 2.9 (CI 1.5 to 5.4) respectively). While the relative risk was not of the magnitude 33 years ago, the overall number of patients presenting with a fracture during snow-and-ice conditions remains more than double compared to control conditions. This highlights the need for improved understanding of the impact of increased fracture burden on hospitals and more effective preventative measures. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Formulation of an organic carbon trajectory over a 10-year period on a restored spoil island in south-central Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schafer, T.; Ellis, R.; Osborne, T.; Hicks Pries, C.

2015-12-01

Long-term monitoring of restoration projects aims to determine long-term sustainability and stability of restored systems. In coastal wetlands, one indicator of restoration of ecosystem function can be seen with organic matter (specifically carbon) accretion. SL-15, a spoil island in Fort Pierce, Fl was restored in 2005, and has been monitored for return to natural condition over the last 10 years.. To assess sediment carbon accretion, sediment cores were collected in a set of eight plots, located on the SL-15 mangrove island and the surrounding seagrass recruitment area. These were analyzed for organic carbon, microbial biomass carbon, extractable carbon, and total nitrogen. The biogeochemical data collected in the previous year was compared to data collected in 2005-2007. Vegetation surveys were also completed to show the build-up of organic material in accordance with vegetation shift over the 9-year period. From this information, a trajectory has been formulated on organic carbon accretion and vegetation shift from the time of orginal restoration activities. By comparison to control sites nearby, realistic estimates of time required to reach natural levels of carbon and vegetation community structure can be calculated..

Evolutionary orbital period change in BH Virginis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gebrehiwot, Y. M.; Tessema, S. B.; Berdnikov, L. N.

2017-04-01

The study of orbital period change of close binaries, such as BH Virginis (BH Vir), using very long time baseline is vital to understand evolutionary processes of the system. In this paper, we use photometric data to analyze the evolutionary orbital period change of the short period RS CVn-type binary system, BH Vir, with a time baseline spanning 123 years. We used the software version of the Hertzsprung method to describe the O-C curve of the system, and we found that the orbital period secularly decreases at a rate of dp/dt=-(0.0013000 ± 0.0000863) s yr^{-1}. Because BH Vir is a typical detached binary system and both components are late type (G0 V + G2 V) stars, the evolutionary period change could be caused by the angular momentum loss due to tides coupled with magnetic breaking.

Soil chemistry changes beneath decomposing cadavers over a one-year period.

PubMed

Szelecz, Ildikó; Koenig, Isabelle; Seppey, Christophe V W; Le Bayon, Renée-Claire; Mitchell, Edward A D

2018-05-01

Decomposing vertebrate cadavers release large, localized inputs of nutrients. These temporally limited resource patches affect nutrient cycling and soil organisms. The impact of decomposing cadavers on soil chemistry is relevant to soil biology, as a natural disturbance, and forensic science, to estimate the postmortem interval. However, cadaver impacts on soils are rarely studied, making it difficult to identify common patterns. We investigated the effects of decomposing pig cadavers (Sus scrofa domesticus) on soil chemistry (pH, ammonium, nitrate, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium and carbon) over a one-year period in a spruce-dominant forest. Four treatments were applied, each with five replicates: two treatments including pig cadavers (placed on the ground and hung one metre above ground) and two controls (bare soil and bags filled with soil placed on the ground i.e. "fake pig" treatment). In the first two months (15-59 days after the start of the experiment), cadavers caused significant increases of ammonium, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (p<0.05) whereas nitrate significantly increased towards the end of the study (263-367 days; p<0.05). Soil pH increased significantly at first and then decreased significantly at the end of the experiment. After one year, some markers returned to basal levels (i.e. not significantly different from control plots), whereas others were still significantly different. Based on these response patterns and in comparison with previous studies, we define three categories of chemical markers that may have the potential to date the time since death: early peak markers (EPM), late peak markers (LPM) and late decrease markers (LDM). The marker categories will enhance our understanding of soil processes and can be highly useful when changes in soil chemistry are related to changes in the composition of soil organism communities. For actual casework further studies and more data are necessary to refine the marker categories along a

Prethermal time crystals in a one-dimensional periodically driven Floquet system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeng, Tian-Sheng; Sheng, D. N.

2017-09-01

Motivated by experimental observations of time-symmetry breaking behavior in a periodically driven (Floquet) system, we study a one-dimensional spin model to explore the stability of such Floquet discrete time crystals (DTCs) under the interplay between interaction and the microwave driving. For intermediate interactions and high drivings, from the time evolution of both stroboscopic spin polarization and mutual information between two ends, we show that Floquet DTCs can exist in a prethermal time regime without the tuning of strong disorder. For much weak interactions the system is a symmetry-unbroken phase, while for strong interactions it gives its way to a thermal phase. Through analyzing the entanglement dynamics, we show that large driving fields protect the prethermal DTCs from many-body localization and thermalization. Our results suggest that by increasing the spin interaction, one can drive the experimental system into optimal regime for observing a robust prethermal DTC phase.

IMPACT OF MICROBIOLOGICAL CHANGES ON SPONTANEOUS BACTERIAL PERITONITIS IN THREE DIFFERENT PERIODS OVER 17 YEARS.

PubMed

Almeida, Paulo Roberto Lerias de; Leão, Gabriel Stefani; Gonçalves, Charlles David Gonçalves; Picon, Rafael Veiga; Tovo, Cristiane Valle

2018-01-01

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is a serious complication in cirrhotic patients, and changes in the microbiological characteristics reported in the last years are impacting the choice of antibiotic used for treatment. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the changes in the epidemiology and bacterial resistance of the germs causing spontaneous bacterial peritonitis over three different periods over 17 years. All cirrhotic patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and positive culture of ascites fluid were retrospectively studied in a reference Hospital in Southern Brazil. Three periods were ramdomly evaluated: 1997-1998, 2002-2003 and 2014-2015. The most frequent infecting organisms and the sensitivity in vitro to antibiotics were registered. In the first period (1997-1998) there were 33 cases, the most common were: E. coli in 13 (36.11%), Staphylococcus coagulase-negative in 6 (16.66%), K. pneumoniae in 5 (13.88%), S. aureus in 4 (11.11%) and S. faecalis in 3 (8.33%). In the second period (2002-2003), there were 43 cases, the most frequent were: Staphylococus coagulase-negative in 16 (35.55%), S. aureus in 8 (17.77%), E. coli in 7 (15.55%) and K. pneumoniae in 3 (6.66%). In the third period (2014-2015) there were 58 cases (seven with two bacteria), the most frequent were: E. coli in 15 (23.1%), S. viridans in 12 (18.5%), K. pneumoniae in 10 (15.4%) and E. faecium 5 (7.7%). No one was using antibiotic prophylaxis. Considering all staphylococci, the prevalence increased to rates of the order of 50% in the second period, with a reduction in the third period evaluated. Likewise, the prevalence of resistant E. coli increased, reaching 14%. There was a modification of the bacterial population causing spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, with high frequency of gram-positive organisms, as well as an increase in the resistance to the traditionally recommended antibiotics. This study suggests a probable imminent inclusion of a drug against gram

Spacecraft stability and control using new techniques for periodic and time-delayed systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

NAzari, Morad

This dissertation addresses various problems in spacecraft stability and control using specialized theoretical and numerical techniques for time-periodic and time-delayed systems. First, the effects of energy dissipation are considered in the dual-spin spacecraft, where the damper masses in the platform (?) and the rotor (?) cause energy loss in the system. Floquet theory is employed to obtain stability charts for different relative spin rates of the subsystem [special characters omitted] with respect to the subsystem [special characters omitted]. Further, the stability and bifurcation of delayed feedback spin stabilization of a rigid spacecraft is investigated. The spin is stabilized about the principal axis of the intermediate moment of inertia using a simple delayed feedback control law. In particular, linear stability is analyzed via the exponential-polynomial characteristic equations and then the method of multiple scales is used to obtain the normal form of the Hopf bifurcation. Next, the dynamics of a rigid spacecraft with nonlinear delayed multi-actuator feedback control are studied, where a nonlinear feedback controller using an inverse dynamics approach is sought for the controlled system to have the desired linear delayed closed-loop dynamics (CLD). Later, three linear state feedback control strategies based on Chebyshev spectral collocation and the Lyapunov Floquet transformation (LFT) are explored for regulation control of linear periodic time delayed systems. First , a delayed feedback control law with discrete delay is implemented and the stability of the closed-loop response is investigated in the parameter space of available control gains using infinite-dimensional Floquet theory. Second, the delay differential equation (DDE) is discretized into a large set of ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using the Chebyshev spectral continuous time approximation (CSCTA) and delayed feedback with distributed delay is applied. The third strategy involves

Changes of etiology, incidence and outcomes of severe acute kidney injury during a 12-year period (2001-2012) in large university hospital.

PubMed

Skarupskiene, Inga; Balciuviene, Vilma; Ziginskiene, Edita; Kuzminskis, Vytautas; Vaiciuniene, Ruta; Bumblyte, Inga Arune

2016-11-01

Despite improvement in the quality of critical care, the incidence and mortality of acute kidney injury (AKI) continues to rise. The aim of our study was to analyze the changes during a 12-year period in etiology, incidence and outcomes of severe AKI, which required dialysis, in a large single centre. We performed retrospective analysis of all the patients (n=3215) with severe AKI hospitalized and dialysed in the hospital of Lithuanian university of health sciences Kauno Klinikos (HLUHS KK) during the period of 2001-2012. During a 12-year period, the incidence of severe AKI increased from 154 to 597 cases/p.m.p. The mean age of the patients increased from 58.2±19.2 years in 2001 to 65.7±17 years in 2012 (P<0.001). The number of men (n=2012; 62.6%) was significantly higher than that of women (n=1201; 37.4%; P<0.001). The causes of severe AKI were renal (n=1128; 35.1%), prerenal (n=642; 20%), obstructive (n=310; 9.6%) and in 12.7% of the patients-multifactorial. Overall, the most frequent cause of AKI was acute tubular necrosis (n=1069; 33.2%). The renal replacement therapy (RRT) was discontinued due to improved kidney function in 45.3% of cases. 8.1% of the patients remained dialysis dependent. The mortality rate was 44%. During a 12-year period, the number of the patients with severe AKI increased three times with the predominance of men and elderly people. There was an observed increase in multifactorial causes of severe AKI; however, ATN remained dominant over the decade. The mortality rate remained high, almost half of the patients died, less than 10% remained dialysis dependent, the rest had the improvement of renal function. Copyright © 2016 Association Société de néphrologie. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Precise timing of the last interglacial period from mass spectrometric determination of thorium-230 in corals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Edwards, R.L.; Chen, J.H.; Ku, T.L.

1987-06-19

The development of mass spectrometric techniques for determination of STTh abundance has made it possible to reduce analytical errors in STYU-STUU-STTh dating of corals even with very small samples. Samples of 6 x 10Y atoms of STTh can be measured to an accuracy of +/- 3% (2sigma) and 3 x 10 atoms of STTh can be measured to an accuracy of +/- 0.2%. The time range over which useful age data on corals can be obtained now ranges from about 50 to about 500,000 years. For young corals, this approach may be preferable to UC dating. The precision should makemore » it possible to critically test the Milankovitch hypothesis concerning Pleistocene climate fluctuations. Analyses of a number of corals that grew during the last interglacial period yield ages of 122,000 to 130,000 years. The ages coincide with, or slightly postdate, the summer solar insolation high at 65N latitude which occurred 128,000 years ago. This supports the idea that changes in Pleistocene climate can be the result of variations in the distribution of solar insolation caused by changes in the geometry of the earth's orbit and rotation axis.« less

Retrospective Integration of Research Conducted on a Multi-Section Educational Psychology Course over a Fifteen-Year Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Robert L.

2017-01-01

This article integrates a series of studies conducted over a 15-year period in a multi-section educational course taught by the same supervising professor and his GTAs . The purpose of each study was to determine whether particular interventions or student characteristics affected performance levels in the course. Over the extended period of…

Orbital period variation study of the low-mass Algol eclipsing binary AI Draconis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanna, Magdy A.

2013-06-01

Orbital period changes for the Algol-type eclipsing binary AI Dra were studied based on the analysis of its observed times of light minimum. The period variation showed cyclic changes in the interval from JD. ≈ 24 36000 to JD. ≈ 24 47500 and a secular period increase rate (dP/dt = 2.44 × 10-7 d/year) starting from JD. ≈ 24 48500 up to 24 55262, in a time scale equals to 5 × 106 year.

[Contraceptive practice in Mexico: two five-year periods, two different patterns (1976-1977 to 1987)].

PubMed

Llera, S

1990-01-01

This work uses data from the 1976-77 Mexican Fertility Survey, the 1982 National Demographic Survey, and the 1987 National Fertility and Health Survey to analyze fertility and contraceptive behavior among Mexican women in the 2 5-year periods from 1976-82 and 1982-87. The proportion of fertile-aged women in union using a method increased from 41.6% in 1976-77 to 58.8% in 1982 and 61.4% in 1989. The most significant gains in use of the more effective methods as in contraceptive prevalence occurred in the 1st 5-year period. The proportion of women sterilized increased from 3.73% in 1977 to 16.6% in 1982 and 21.7% in 1987, equivalent to increases over the 2 5-year periods of 345.7% and 30.7%. Female sterilization was the only method whose use increased constantly over the period. Use of the IUD was almost unchanged between 1977-82, while use of oral contraceptives and injectables both declined from 1982 to 1987 after increasing over the preceding 5 years. Contraceptive usage increased intensely in all subgroups of women studied between 1976-82, but in the 2nd period from 1982 to 1987 contraceptive usage declined significantly in some subgroups. Contraceptive prevalence among women in urban and metropolitan areas increased systematically after 1977. Rural women increased their use from 22.5% in 1977 to 48.6% in 1982. 5 years later the proportion of rural users had declined to 45.3% although it was still well above the level of 1976-77. The most significant increase in contraceptive usage among illiterate women and those with primary educations occurred from 1976 to 1982. In 1987 women with primary and higher levels of education demonstrated increases in contraceptive usage compared with 1982, but contraceptive usage among illiterate women declined from 40.8% in 1982 to 28.9% in 1987. Data from the 3 surveys demonstrate low but increasing rates of use among women 15-19 years old, who may be in the process of developing a new fertility pattern characterized by longer

Descriptive Study of Occupational Accidents and their Causes among Electricity Distribution Company Workers at an Eight-year Period in Iran

PubMed Central

Rahmani, Abdolrasoul; Khadem, Monireh; Madreseh, Elham; Aghaei, Habib-Allah; Raei, Mehdi; Karchani, Mohsen

2013-01-01

Background Occupational accidents are unplanned events that cause damage. The socio-economic impacts and human costs of accidents are tremendous around the world. Many fatalities happen every year in workplaces such as electricity distribution companies. Some electrical injuries are electrocution, electric shock, and burns. This study was conducted in an electricity distribution company (with rotational 12-hour shift work) in Iran during an 8-year period to survey descriptive factors of injuries. Methods Variables collected included accident time, age of injured worker, employment type, work experience, injury cause, educational background, and other information about accidents. Results Results indicated that most of the accidents occurred in summer, and 51.3% were during shift work. Worker negligence (malpractice) was the cause of 75% of deaths. Type of employment had a significant relationship with type of injuries (p < 0.05). Most injuries were electrical burns. Conclusion High rate of accidents in summer may be due to the warm weather or insufficient professional skills in seasonal workers. Shift workers are at risk of sleep complaints leading to a high rate of work injuries. Acquiring knowledge about safety was related to job experiences. Temporary workers have no chance to work all year like permanent workers, therefore impressive experiences may be less in them. Because the lack of protective equipment and negligence are main causes of accidents, periodical inspections in workshops are necessary. PMID:24106647

AN EXTENDED AND MORE SENSITIVE SEARCH FOR PERIODICITIES IN ROSSI X-RAY TIMING EXPLORER/ALL-SKY MONITOR X-RAY LIGHT CURVES

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Levine, Alan M.; Bradt, Hale V.; Chakrabarty, Deepto

2011-09-01

We present the results of a systematic search in {approx}14 years of Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer All-Sky Monitor (ASM) data for evidence of periodicities. Two variations of the commonly used Fourier analysis search method have been employed to significantly improve upon the sensitivity achieved by Wen et al. in 2006, who also searched for periodicities in ASM data. In addition, the present search is comprehensive in terms of sources studied and frequency range covered, and has yielded the detection of the signatures of the orbital periods of eight low-mass X-ray binary systems and of ten high-mass X-ray binaries not listedmore » in the tables of Wen et al. Orbital periods, epochs, signal amplitudes, modulation fractions, and folded light curves are given for each of these systems. Seven of the orbital periods are the most precise reported to date. In the course of this work, the 18.545 day orbital period of IGR J18483-0311 was co-discovered, and the first detections in X-rays were made of the {approx}3.9 day orbital period of LMC X-1 and the {approx}3.79 hr orbital period of 4U 1636-536. The results inform future searches for orbital and other periodicities in X-ray binaries.« less

Buying time-the immune system determinants of the incubation period to respiratory viruses.

PubMed

Hermesh, Tamar; Moltedo, Bruno; López, Carolina B; Moran, Thomas M

2010-11-01

Respiratory viruses cause disease in humans characterized by an abrupt onset of symptoms. Studies in humans and animal models have shown that symptoms are not immediate and appear days or even weeks after infection. Since the initial symptoms are a manifestation of virus recognition by elements of the innate immune response, early virus replication must go largely undetected. The interval between infection and the emergence of symptoms is called the incubation period and is widely used as a clinical score. While incubation periods have been described for many virus infections the underlying mechanism for this asymptomatic phase has not been comprehensively documented. Here we review studies of the interaction between human pathogenic respiratory RNA viruses and the host with a particular emphasis on the mechanisms used by viruses to inhibit immunity. We discuss the concept of the "stealth phase", defined as the time between infection and the earliest detectable inflammatory response. We propose that the "stealth phase" phenomenon is primarily responsible for the suppression of symptoms during the incubation period and results from viral antagonism that inhibits major pathways of the innate immune system allowing an extended time of unhindered virus replication.

Association of intrinsic circadian period with morningness-eveningness, usual wake time, and circadian phase

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duffy, J. F.; Rimmer, D. W.; Czeisler, C. A.

2001-01-01

The biological basis of preferences for morning or evening activity patterns ("early birds" and "night owls") has been hypothesized but has remained elusive. The authors reported that, compared with evening types, the circadian pacemaker of morning types was entrained to an earlier hour with respect to both clock time and wake time. The present study explores a chronobiological mechanism by which the biological clock of morning types may be set to an earlier hour. Intrinsic period, a fundamental property of the circadian system, was measured in a month-long inpatient study. A subset of participants also had their circadian phase assessed. Participants completed a morningness-eveningness questionnaire before study. Circadian period was correlated with morningness-eveningness, circadian phase, and wake time, demonstrating that a fundamental property of the circadian pacemaker is correlated with the behavioral trait of morningness-eveningness.

Longitudinal association between air pollution exposure at school and cognitive development in school children over a period of 3.5 years.

PubMed

Forns, Joan; Dadvand, Payam; Esnaola, Mikel; Alvarez-Pedrerol, Mar; López-Vicente, Mònica; Garcia-Esteban, Raquel; Cirach, Marta; Basagaña, Xavier; Guxens, Mònica; Sunyer, Jordi

2017-11-01

Recently, we showed that exposure to traffic-related air pollutants (TRAPs) at school was negatively associated with cognitive development, specifically working memory and inattentiveness, in primary schoolchildren during a course of 12 months. The persistence of such associations over longer periods remains as an open question. To study the longitudinal association between TRAPs at school and cognitive development over a period of 3.5 years. Indoor and outdoor levels of TRAPs (elemental carbon (EC), dioxide nitrogen (NO 2 ), particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) from traffic sources and ultrafine particles (UFP)) were measured at 39 schools across Barcelona during 2012/2013. Working memory, as a measure of cognitive development, was evaluated 4 times in 2012/2013 assessment and was re-evaluated one more time in 2015 using computerized n-back test (3-back d' as main outcome). Linear mixed effects models were used to test the association between TRAPs and 3-back d', adding child and school as random effects to account for the multilevel nature of the data, and school air pollutants levels (one at a time) as predictor. We found detrimental associations between all TRAPs and annual change in 3-back d' (working memory) (i.e. slower development of working memory in children attending schools with higher levels of air pollution). The associations (per one interquartile range increase in exposure) were strongest for outdoor NO 2 (Coefficient (Coef) = - 4.22, 95% confidence interval (CI), - 6.22, - 2.22) and indoor UFP (Coef = - 4.12, 95%CI, - 5.68, - 1.83). These reductions were equivalent to - 20% (95%CI, - 30.1, - 10.7) and - 19.9% (95%CI, - 31.5, - 8.4) change in annual working memory development associated with one interquartile range increase in outdoor NO 2 and indoor UFP, respectively. Our findings suggest the persistence of the negative association between TRAPs exposure at school and cognitive trajectory measured by n-back test over a period of 3.5 years. Copyright �

CHANGES IN MARRIAGE PATTERNS AMONG THE ARAB COMMUNITY IN ISRAEL OVER A 60-YEAR PERIOD.

PubMed

Sharkia, Rajech; Mahajnah, Muhammad; Athamny, Esmael; Khatib, Mohammad; Sheikh-Muhammad, Ahmad; Zalan, Abdelnaser

2016-03-01

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and trends of various types of consanguineous marriage among the Arab community in Israel over a long time period (1948-2007) by religion and educational level. Data were collected by face-to-face interview of 3173 Arab couples living in Israel in 2007 and 2008. The trend in consanguineous marriages was found to decrease significantly over successive time periods, from 42.5% to 30.9% (p=0.001), and the prevalence of first-cousin and closer marriages decreased, from 23% to 12.7%. Consanguinity was found to be significantly related to religion (p=0.001) and wife's level of education (p=0.028).

Global trends in vegetation phenology from 32-year GEOV1 leaf area index time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verger, Aleixandre; Baret, Frédéric; Weiss, Marie; Filella, Iolanda; Peñuelas, Josep

2013-04-01

Phenology is a critical component in understanding ecosystem response to climate variability. Long term data records from global mapping satellite platforms are valuable tools for monitoring vegetation responses to climate change at the global scale. Phenology satellite products and trend detection from satellite time series are expected to contribute to improve our understanding of climate forcing on vegetation dynamics. The capacity of monitoring ecosystem responses to global climate change was evaluated in this study from the 32-year time series of global Leaf Area Index (LAI) which have been recently produced within the geoland2 project. The long term GEOV1 LAI products were derived from NOAA/AVHRR (1981 to 2000) and SPOT/VGT (1999 to the present) with specific emphasis on consistency and continuity. Since mid-November, GEOV1 LAI products are freely available to the scientific community at geoland2 portal (www.geoland2.eu/core-mapping-services/biopar.html). These products are distributed at a dekadal time step for the period 1981-2000 and 2000-2012 at 0.05° and 1/112°, respectively. The use of GEOV1 data covering a long time period and providing information at dense time steps are expected to increase the reliability of trend detection. In this study, GEOV1 LAI time series aggregated at 0.5° spatial resolution are used. The CACAO (Consistent Adjustment of the Climatology to Actual Observations) method (Verger et al, 2013) was applied to characterize seasonal anomalies as well as identify trends. For a given pixel, CACAO computes, for each season, the time shift and the amplitude difference between the current temporal profile and the climatology computed over the 32 years. These CACAO parameters allow quantifying shifts in the timing of seasonal phenology and inter-annual variations in magnitude as compared to the average climatology. Interannual variations in the timing of the Start of Season and End of Season, Season Length and LAI level in the peak of the

Exact dynamics of a one dimensional Bose gas in a periodic time-dependent harmonic trap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scopa, Stefano; Unterberger, Jéremie; Karevski, Dragi

2018-05-01

We study the unitary dynamics of a 1D gas of hard-core bosons trapped into a harmonic potential which varies periodically in time with frequency . Such periodic systems can be classified into orbits of different monodromies corresponding to two different physical situations, namely the case in which the bosonic cloud remains stable during the time-evolution and the case where it turns out to be unstable. In the present work we derive in the large particle number limit exact results for the stroboscopic evolution of the energy and particle densities in both physical situations.

Period changes of cataclysmic variables below the period gap: V2051 Oph, OY Car and Z Cha

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilarčík, L.; Wolf, M.; Zasche, P.; Vraštil, J.

2018-04-01

We present our results of a long-term monitoring of cataclysmic variable stars (CVs). About 40 new eclipses were measured for the three southern SU UMa-type eclipsing CVs: V2051 Oph, OY Car and Z Cha. Based on the current O - C diagrams we confirmed earlier findings that V2051 Oph and OY Car present cyclic changes of their orbital periods lasting 25 and 29 years, respectively. In case of Z Cha we propose the light-time effect caused probably by a presence of the third component orbiting the eclipsing CV with the period of 43.5 years. The minimal mass of this companion results about 15 MJup.

42 CFR 457.610 - Period of availability for State allotments for a fiscal year.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Period of availability for State allotments for a fiscal year. 457.610 Section 457.610 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES (CONTINUED) STATE CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE PROGRAMS (SCHIPs) ALLOTMENTS AND GRANTS TO STATES Payments to States §...

A 15-Year Time-series Study of Tooth Extraction in Brazil

PubMed Central

Cunha, Maria Aparecida Goncalves de Melo; Lino, Patrícia Azevedo; dos Santos, Thiago Rezende; Vasconcelos, Mara; Lucas, Simone Dutra; de Abreu, Mauro Henrique Nogueira Guimarães

2015-01-01

Abstract Tooth loss is considered to be a public health problem. Time-series studies that assess the influence of social conditions and access to health services on tooth loss are scarce. This study aimed to examine the time-series of permanent tooth extraction in Brazil between 1998 and 2012 and to compare these series in municipalities with different Human Development Index (HDI) scores and with different access to distinct primary and secondary care. The time-series study was performed between 1998 and 2012, using data from the Brazilian National Health Information System. Time-series study was performed between 1998 and 2012. Two annual rates of tooth extraction were calculated and evaluated separately according to 3 parameters: the HDI, the presence of a Dental Specialty Center, and coverage by Oral Health Teams. The time-series was analyzed using a linear regression model. An overall decrease in the tooth-loss tendencies during this period was observed, particularly in the tooth-extraction rate during primary care procedures. In the municipalities with an HDI that was lower than the median, the average tooth-loss rates were higher than in the municipalities with a higher HDI. The municipalities with lower rates of Oral Health Team coverage also showed lower extraction rates than the municipalities with higher coverage rates. In general, Brazil has shown a decrease in the trend to extract permanent teeth during these 15 years. Increased human development and access to dental services have influenced tooth-extraction rates. PMID:26632688

Are changes in drinking related to changes in cannabis use among Swedish adolescents? A time-series analysis for the period 1989-2016.

PubMed

Gripe, Isabella; Danielsson, Anna-Karin; Ramstedt, Mats

2018-04-21

To examine if changes in alcohol consumption are associated with changes in cannabis use among Swedish adolescents in a period of diverging trends, and to investigate if cannabis and alcohol act as complements or substitutes. Data comprise a nationally representative annual school survey of alcohol and drug habits among Swedish 9th-grade students (aged 15-16 years) covering years 1989-2016 (n = 149 603). Alcohol and cannabis use were measured concurrently and alcohol consumption was measured in litres of 100% alcohol per year. Frequency of cannabis use was transformed into a mean using category mid-points. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) time-series analysis was used to estimate the association between cannabis and alcohol use. To elucidate changes in the association during the study period, two subperiods (2000-16 and 1989-99) were analysed. There was a positive and statistically significant association between changes in alcohol consumption and changes in frequency of cannabis use among cannabis users for the period 1989-2016. A 1-litre increase in mean alcohol consumption was associated with a 0.28 increase in frequency of cannabis use (P = 0.010). The corresponding increase for the period 1989-99 was 0.52 (P = 0.003). When restricting the analysis to 2000-16, the association was not statistically significant (P = 0.735). When analysing all adolescents we found no statistically significant association between changes in alcohol consumption and changes in frequency of cannabis use. From 1989 to 2016 there appears to be a positive association between alcohol and cannabis consumption among Swedish adolescents who use cannabis. This association seems to have become weaker over time, suggesting that alcohol and cannabis are neither substitutes nor complements among Swedish adolescents and that the recent decline in youth drinking is not associated with the increase in frequency of cannabis use. © 2018 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Part-Time Faculty Satisfaction at Two-Year Public Postsecondary Institutions: A Comparison of Involuntary Part-Time, Voluntary Part-Time, and Full-Time Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinchen, Nancy Huval

2010-01-01

Part-time faculty members represent the majority of faculty at public two-year postsecondary institutions. Utilizing part-time faculty enables two-year institutions to control their instructional costs and maintain scheduling flexibility. However, part-time faculty are diverse in regards to their employment preference, some prefer part-time…

Bipolar disorder recurrence prevention using self-monitoring daily mood charts: case reports from a 5 year period.

PubMed

Yasui-Furukori, Norio; Nakamura, Kazuhiko

2017-01-01

Mood symptoms in bipolar disorders are significantly related to psychosocial events, and the personalized identification of symptom triggers is important. Ecological momentary assessments have been used in paper-and-pencil form to explore emotional reactivity to daily life stress in patients with bipolar disorder. However, there are few data on long-term recurrence prevention effects using ecological momentary assessments. Subjects were three outpatients with bipolar disorder who had a history of at least one admission. They recorded self-monitoring daily mood charts using a 5-point Likert scale. Paper-and-pencil mood charts included mood, motivation, thinking speed, and impulsivity. Additionally, they recorded waking time, bedtime, and medication compliance. Fewer manic or depressive episodes including admissions occurred after self-monitoring daily mood charts compared to patients' admissions in the past 3 years. This study suggests that self-monitoring daily mood in addition to mood stabilizing medication has some effect on recurrence prevention in follow-up periods of at least 5 years. Further studies with rigorous designs and large sample sizes are needed.

French firefighter mortality: analysis over a 30-year period.

PubMed

Amadeo, Brice; Marchand, Jean-Luc; Moisan, Frédéric; Donnadieu, Stéphane; Gaëlle, Coureau; Simone, Mathoulin-Pélissier; Lembeye, Christian; Imbernon, Ellen; Brochard, Patrick

2015-04-01

To explore mortality of French professional male firefighters. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were calculated for 10,829 professional male firefighters employed in 1979 and compared with the French male population between 1979-2008. Firefighters were identified from 89 French administrative departments (93% of population). One thousand six hundred forty two deaths were identified, representing significantly lower all-cause mortality than in the general population (SMR = 0.81; 95%CI: 0.77-0.85). SMR increased with age and was not different from 1 for firefighters >70 years. No significant excess of mortality was observed for any specific cause, but a greater number of deaths than expected were found for various digestive neoplasms (rectum/anus, pancreas, buccal-pharynx, stomach, liver, and larynx). We observed lower all and leading-cause mortality likely due to the healthy worker effect in this cohort, with diseases of the respiratory system considerably lower (SMR = 0.57). Non-significant excesses for digestive neoplasms are notable, but should not be over-interpreted at this stage. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

26 CFR 53.4943-6 - Five-year period to dispose of gifts, bequests, etc.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Business Holdings § 53.4943-6 Five-year period to dispose of gifts, bequests, etc. (a) In general—(1..., but for such paragraph, would have excess business holdings as a result of a change in the holdings in a business enterprise after May 26, 1969 (other than by purchase by such private foundation or by a...

Reliability of Fitness Tests Using Methods and Time Periods Common in Sport and Occupational Management

PubMed Central

Burnstein, Bryan D.; Steele, Russell J.; Shrier, Ian

2011-01-01

Context: Fitness testing is used frequently in many areas of physical activity, but the reliability of these measurements under real-world, practical conditions is unknown. Objective: To evaluate the reliability of specific fitness tests using the methods and time periods used in the context of real-world sport and occupational management. Design: Cohort study. Setting: Eighteen different Cirque du Soleil shows. Patients or Other Participants: Cirque du Soleil physical performers who completed 4 consecutive tests (6-month intervals) and were free of injury or illness at each session (n = 238 of 701 physical performers). Intervention(s): Performers completed 6 fitness tests on each assessment date: dynamic balance, Harvard step test, handgrip, vertical jump, pull-ups, and 60-second jump test. Main Outcome Measure(s): We calculated the intraclass coefficient (ICC) and limits of agreement between baseline and each time point and the ICC over all 4 time points combined. Results: Reliability was acceptable (ICC > 0.6) over an 18-month time period for all pairwise comparisons and all time points together for the handgrip, vertical jump, and pull-up assessments. The Harvard step test and 60-second jump test had poor reliability (ICC < 0.6) between baseline and other time points. When we excluded the baseline data and calculated the ICC for 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month time points, both the Harvard step test and 60-second jump test demonstrated acceptable reliability. Dynamic balance was unreliable in all contexts. Limit-of-agreement analysis demonstrated considerable intraindividual variability for some tests and a learning effect by administrators on others. Conclusions: Five of the 6 tests in this battery had acceptable reliability over an 18-month time frame, but the values for certain individuals may vary considerably from time to time for some tests. Specific tests may require a learning period for administrators. PMID:22488138

Reliability of fitness tests using methods and time periods common in sport and occupational management.

PubMed

Burnstein, Bryan D; Steele, Russell J; Shrier, Ian

2011-01-01

Fitness testing is used frequently in many areas of physical activity, but the reliability of these measurements under real-world, practical conditions is unknown. To evaluate the reliability of specific fitness tests using the methods and time periods used in the context of real-world sport and occupational management. Cohort study. Eighteen different Cirque du Soleil shows. Cirque du Soleil physical performers who completed 4 consecutive tests (6-month intervals) and were free of injury or illness at each session (n = 238 of 701 physical performers). Performers completed 6 fitness tests on each assessment date: dynamic balance, Harvard step test, handgrip, vertical jump, pull-ups, and 60-second jump test. We calculated the intraclass coefficient (ICC) and limits of agreement between baseline and each time point and the ICC over all 4 time points combined. Reliability was acceptable (ICC > 0.6) over an 18-month time period for all pairwise comparisons and all time points together for the handgrip, vertical jump, and pull-up assessments. The Harvard step test and 60-second jump test had poor reliability (ICC < 0.6) between baseline and other time points. When we excluded the baseline data and calculated the ICC for 6-month, 12-month, and 18-month time points, both the Harvard step test and 60-second jump test demonstrated acceptable reliability. Dynamic balance was unreliable in all contexts. Limit-of-agreement analysis demonstrated considerable intraindividual variability for some tests and a learning effect by administrators on others. Five of the 6 tests in this battery had acceptable reliability over an 18-month time frame, but the values for certain individuals may vary considerably from time to time for some tests. Specific tests may require a learning period for administrators.

Work- and non-work-related eye injuries in a highly industrialized area in northern Italy: comparison between two three-year periods (1994-1996 and 2005-2007).

PubMed

Semeraro, F; Polcini, C; Forbice, Eliana; Monfardini, A; Costagliola, C; Apostoli, P

2013-01-01

Ocular trauma is a major cause of monocular blindness and visual impairment in industrialized countries. The aim of this paper was to study epidemiology, causes, and clinical features of work-related and non-work-related eye injuries in a highly industrialized area of northern Italy. All patients hospitalized for eye injuries were enrolled. Two 3-year periods were studied (1994-1996 and 2005-2007). The variables analyzed included sex, age, social class of the patients, nature of the injuring agent (e.g., metal, plastic, etc.), place where the accident occurred (e.g., home, work, etc.), and time of the year (e.g., summer, winter, etc.). We enrolled 1001 men and 129 women. There were no significant differences between the two 3-year periods as regards distribution of sex, age, and location. Road-related injuries significantly decreased (p < 0.004). Comparison of injuring agents showed a decrease in metallic agents (p < 0.001) and an increase in lime agents (p < 0.001). Analysis of the type of trauma showed a decrease in blunt traumas (p < 0.001) and an increase in chemical injuries (p < 0.001) and actinic keratitis (p = 0.002). In the second 3-year period, we found a significant increase in injuries in non-Italian subjects (p < 0.001). Work-related injuries were the major cause of eye trauma. Road accident-related eye injuries dropped significantly in the second 3-year period. The adoption of higher safety standards, as well as information and educational campaigns, can significantly reduce work-related and non-work-related eye injuries.

77 FR 3745 - Establishment of a One-Year Retention Period for Trademark-Related Papers That Have Been Scanned...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-01-25

... to the USPTO's past practice of indefinitely retaining papers that have been scanned into TICRS stems... One-Year Retention Period for Trademark- Related Papers That Have Been Scanned Into the Trademark... retention period that began on September 26, 2011, for papers scanned into the Trademark Initial Capture...

High-order fuzzy time-series based on multi-period adaptation model for forecasting stock markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Tai-Liang; Cheng, Ching-Hsue; Teoh, Hia-Jong

2008-02-01

Stock investors usually make their short-term investment decisions according to recent stock information such as the late market news, technical analysis reports, and price fluctuations. To reflect these short-term factors which impact stock price, this paper proposes a comprehensive fuzzy time-series, which factors linear relationships between recent periods of stock prices and fuzzy logical relationships (nonlinear relationships) mined from time-series into forecasting processes. In empirical analysis, the TAIEX (Taiwan Stock Exchange Capitalization Weighted Stock Index) and HSI (Heng Seng Index) are employed as experimental datasets, and four recent fuzzy time-series models, Chen’s (1996), Yu’s (2005), Cheng’s (2006) and Chen’s (2007), are used as comparison models. Besides, to compare with conventional statistic method, the method of least squares is utilized to estimate the auto-regressive models of the testing periods within the databases. From analysis results, the performance comparisons indicate that the multi-period adaptation model, proposed in this paper, can effectively improve the forecasting performance of conventional fuzzy time-series models which only factor fuzzy logical relationships in forecasting processes. From the empirical study, the traditional statistic method and the proposed model both reveal that stock price patterns in the Taiwan stock and Hong Kong stock markets are short-term.

Survival of teeth treated with cast post and cores: A retrospective analysis over an observation period of up to 19.5 years.

PubMed

Raedel, Michael; Fiedler, Cliff; Jacoby, Stephan; Boening, Klaus W

2015-07-01

Scientific data about the long-term survival of teeth treated with cast post and cores are scarce. Retrospective studies often use different target events for their analyses. A comparison is therefore complicated. For associated tooth-, jaw-, and patient-related factors little evidence exists as to their effect on survival. The purpose of this study was to extend the knowledge on the survival of teeth treated with cast post and cores for observation periods of more than 10 years. A decrease or increase in survival times according to the presence or absence of associated parameters needs to be evaluated. A retrospective evaluation was conducted of all cast post and cores inserted in 1 university clinic between January 1992 and June 2011. A Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was carried out by using extraction as the target event. The survival curves for different tooth types, the presence or absence of adjacent teeth, and the prosthetic restoration of the respective jaws were compared by using the log-rank test (α=.05). A Cox regression model was calculated for multivariate analyses. A total of 717 cast post and cores for 343 patients were recorded. The mean survival time was 13.5 years. A statistically significant decrease in survival times was found for canines (11.9 years) and premolars (13.4 years) versus molars (14.1 years), no adjacent teeth (10.6 years) versus at least 1 adjacent tooth (13.8 years), and the restoration with removable dental prostheses (12.5 years) versus fixed dental prostheses and single crowns (13.9 years). The largest reduction in survival time was found for teeth being used as an abutment for a double crown-retained removable partial dental prosthesis (telescopic denture) (9.8 years). Tooth type and adjacent tooth status remained as significant variables within the multivariate Cox regression model. Cast post and cores have an acceptable long-term survival time. Because different factors may influence survival, considering these factors in

The NANOGrav 11-year Data Set: High-precision Timing of 45 Millisecond Pulsars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arzoumanian, Zaven; Brazier, Adam; Burke-Spolaor, Sarah; Chamberlin, Sydney; Chatterjee, Shami; Christy, Brian; Cordes, James M.; Cornish, Neil J.; Crawford, Fronefield; Thankful Cromartie, H.; Crowter, Kathryn; DeCesar, Megan E.; Demorest, Paul B.; Dolch, Timothy; Ellis, Justin A.; Ferdman, Robert D.; Ferrara, Elizabeth C.; Fonseca, Emmanuel; Garver-Daniels, Nathan; Gentile, Peter A.; Halmrast, Daniel; Huerta, E. A.; Jenet, Fredrick A.; Jessup, Cody; Jones, Glenn; Jones, Megan L.; Kaplan, David L.; Lam, Michael T.; Lazio, T. Joseph W.; Levin, Lina; Lommen, Andrea; Lorimer, Duncan R.; Luo, Jing; Lynch, Ryan S.; Madison, Dustin; Matthews, Allison M.; McLaughlin, Maura A.; McWilliams, Sean T.; Mingarelli, Chiara; Ng, Cherry; Nice, David J.; Pennucci, Timothy T.; Ransom, Scott M.; Ray, Paul S.; Siemens, Xavier; Simon, Joseph; Spiewak, Renée; Stairs, Ingrid H.; Stinebring, Daniel R.; Stovall, Kevin; Swiggum, Joseph K.; Taylor, Stephen R.; Vallisneri, Michele; van Haasteren, Rutger; Vigeland, Sarah J.; Zhu, Weiwei; The NANOGrav Collaboration

2018-04-01

We present high-precision timing data over time spans of up to 11 years for 45 millisecond pulsars observed as part of the North American Nanohertz Observatory for Gravitational Waves (NANOGrav) project, aimed at detecting and characterizing low-frequency gravitational waves. The pulsars were observed with the Arecibo Observatory and/or the Green Bank Telescope at frequencies ranging from 327 MHz to 2.3 GHz. Most pulsars were observed with approximately monthly cadence, and six high-timing-precision pulsars were observed weekly. All were observed at widely separated frequencies at each observing epoch in order to fit for time-variable dispersion delays. We describe our methods for data processing, time-of-arrival (TOA) calculation, and the implementation of a new, automated method for removing outlier TOAs. We fit a timing model for each pulsar that includes spin, astrometric, and (for binary pulsars) orbital parameters; time-variable dispersion delays; and parameters that quantify pulse-profile evolution with frequency. The timing solutions provide three new parallax measurements, two new Shapiro delay measurements, and two new measurements of significant orbital-period variations. We fit models that characterize sources of noise for each pulsar. We find that 11 pulsars show significant red noise, with generally smaller spectral indices than typically measured for non-recycled pulsars, possibly suggesting a different origin. A companion paper uses these data to constrain the strength of the gravitational-wave background.

[Productivity of Spanish emergency physicians: comparison of the 5-year periods 2010-2014 and 2005-2009].

PubMed

Fernández-Guerrero, Inés M; Burbano Santos, Pablo; Martín-Sánchez, Francisco Javier; Hidalgo-Rodríguez, Abraham; Leal-Lobato, María de Las Mercedes; Rivilla-Doce, Celia; Julián-Jiménez, Agustín; Burillo-Putze, Guillermo; Miró, Òscar

2016-06-01

To study the publication productivity of Spanish emergency physicians in the 5-year period from 2010 through 2014 and compare it with the previous period (2005-2009). Articles authored by emergency physicians affiliated with institutions in Spain were selected from the Science Citation Index-Expanded; conference presentations were excluded. We collected data for year of publication, author information, journal, the journal's impact factor (IF), type of article, cites received, and area of research. We searched at 2010-2014 period, and these data were compared with historic data from the 2005-2009 period. A total of 1433 articles were published in 2010-2014; 52.4% were original research articles (56% more than in 2005-2009, P=.01). The mean journal IF associated with the publications was slightly higher in 2010-2014 (2.587 vs 2.483 for 2005-2009). The median was slightly lower (2.295 vs 3.085 in the earlier period), but the 90th percentile was higher (4.036 vs 3.085, P=0.01), reflecting an increase in the number of publications in journals with high IFs. Most articles continue to be published in Castilian Spanish (67.8%), although the percentage of articles published in English increased significantly, from 25.2% in the previous period to 32.1% in 2010-2014; P=.001). Scientific publications in emergency medicine come mainly from specialists working in hospital emergency departments (89%). Authors affiliated with a university are in the minority, although their percentage increased significantly from 10.9% in the previous period to 16.2% in the recent one (P=.001). Collaboration increased in the recent period in all categories: between hospitals in the same Spanish autonomous community (from 24.7% to 36%), in different communities (from 10.9% to 19%), or in different countries (from 2.3% to 8.4%) (P=.001, all comparisons). The most productive research areas were cardiovascular conditions (accounting for 13.1% of the publications), infectious diseases (13

Rational reduction of periodic propagators for off-period observations.

PubMed

Blanton, Wyndham B; Logan, John W; Pines, Alexander

2004-02-01

Many common solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance problems take advantage of the periodicity of the underlying Hamiltonian to simplify the computation of an observation. Most of the time-domain methods used, however, require the time step between observations to be some integer or reciprocal-integer multiple of the period, thereby restricting the observation bandwidth. Calculations of off-period observations are usually reduced to brute force direct methods resulting in many demanding matrix multiplications. For large spin systems, the matrix multiplication becomes the limiting step. A simple method that can dramatically reduce the number of matrix multiplications required to calculate the time evolution when the observation time step is some rational fraction of the period of the Hamiltonian is presented. The algorithm implements two different optimization routines. One uses pattern matching and additional memory storage, while the other recursively generates the propagators via time shifting. The net result is a significant speed improvement for some types of time-domain calculations.

Variation of Time Domain Failure Probabilities of Jack-up with Wave Return Periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idris, Ahmad; Harahap, Indra S. H.; Ali, Montassir Osman Ahmed

2018-04-01

This study evaluated failure probabilities of jack up units on the framework of time dependent reliability analysis using uncertainty from different sea states representing different return period of the design wave. Surface elevation for each sea state was represented by Karhunen-Loeve expansion method using the eigenfunctions of prolate spheroidal wave functions in order to obtain the wave load. The stochastic wave load was propagated on a simplified jack up model developed in commercial software to obtain the structural response due to the wave loading. Analysis of the stochastic response to determine the failure probability in excessive deck displacement in the framework of time dependent reliability analysis was performed by developing Matlab codes in a personal computer. Results from the study indicated that the failure probability increases with increase in the severity of the sea state representing a longer return period. Although the results obtained are in agreement with the results of a study of similar jack up model using time independent method at higher values of maximum allowable deck displacement, it is in contrast at lower values of the criteria where the study reported that failure probability decreases with increase in the severity of the sea state.

Cultural Identities of Adolescent Immigrants: A Three-Year Longitudinal Study Including the Pre-Migration Period

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tartakovsky, Eugene

2009-01-01

This article investigates the cultural identities of adolescent immigrants in the pre-migration period and during the first 3 years after immigration. The target population consists of high-school Jewish adolescents from Russia and Ukraine participating in an Israeli immigration program. In this program, Jewish adolescents immigrate to Israel…

Natural chloroform emissions from the blanket peat bogs in the vicinity of Mace Head, Ireland over a 14-year period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simmonds, P. G.; Derwent, R. G.; Manning, A. J.; O'Doherty, S.; Spain, G.

2010-03-01

Simultaneous chloroform (CHCl 3) emission and ozone (O 3) deposition are regularly observed under nocturnal inversions during the summer months from and to the peat bogs in the vicinity of the Mace Head Atmospheric Research Station, Connemara, Co Galway, Ireland. Emissions were estimated using the nocturnal box model applied to routine atmospheric observations collected over a 14-year period from 1995 to 2008. Strict criteria were applied in the selection of events of low wind speed, under a stable night-time inversion layer in baseline air conditions, with no transport from Europe. The mean peatland CHCl 3 flux was 2.91 μg m -2 h -1 with highly variable fluxes ranging from 0.44 to 12.94 μg m -2 h -1. These fluxes are generally larger than those reported previously for similar biomes and if representative would make a significant contribution to the global estimated source of CHCl 3. Fluxes were not strongly correlated with either atmospheric temperature or the level of precipitation. Over the 14-year period there appears to have been a small increase in overall CHCl 3 emissions, although we stress that the nocturnal box model has a number of limitations and assumptions which should be taken into account.

Stochastic model stationarization by eliminating the periodic term and its effect on time series prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moeeni, Hamid; Bonakdari, Hossein; Fatemi, Seyed Ehsan

2017-04-01

Because time series stationarization has a key role in stochastic modeling results, three methods are analyzed in this study. The methods are seasonal differencing, seasonal standardization and spectral analysis to eliminate the periodic effect on time series stationarity. First, six time series including 4 streamflow series and 2 water temperature series are stationarized. The stochastic term for these series obtained with ARIMA is subsequently modeled. For the analysis, 9228 models are introduced. It is observed that seasonal standardization and spectral analysis eliminate the periodic term completely, while seasonal differencing maintains seasonal correlation structures. The obtained results indicate that all three methods present acceptable performance overall. However, model accuracy in monthly streamflow prediction is higher with seasonal differencing than with the other two methods. Another advantage of seasonal differencing over the other methods is that the monthly streamflow is never estimated as negative. Standardization is the best method for predicting monthly water temperature although it is quite similar to seasonal differencing, while spectral analysis performed the weakest in all cases. It is concluded that for each monthly seasonal series, seasonal differencing is the best stationarization method in terms of periodic effect elimination. Moreover, the monthly water temperature is predicted with more accuracy than monthly streamflow. The criteria of the average stochastic term divided by the amplitude of the periodic term obtained for monthly streamflow and monthly water temperature were 0.19 and 0.30, 0.21 and 0.13, and 0.07 and 0.04 respectively. As a result, the periodic term is more dominant than the stochastic term for water temperature in the monthly water temperature series compared to streamflow series.

Load Balancing Using Time Series Analysis for Soft Real Time Systems with Statistically Periodic Loads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hailperin, Max

1993-01-01

This thesis provides design and analysis of techniques for global load balancing on ensemble architectures running soft-real-time object-oriented applications with statistically periodic loads. It focuses on estimating the instantaneous average load over all the processing elements. The major contribution is the use of explicit stochastic process models for both the loading and the averaging itself. These models are exploited via statistical time-series analysis and Bayesian inference to provide improved average load estimates, and thus to facilitate global load balancing. This thesis explains the distributed algorithms used and provides some optimality results. It also describes the algorithms' implementation and gives performance results from simulation. These results show that our techniques allow more accurate estimation of the global system load ing, resulting in fewer object migration than local methods. Our method is shown to provide superior performance, relative not only to static load-balancing schemes but also to many adaptive methods.

18 years of continuous observation of tritium and atmospheric precipitations in Ramnicu Valcea (Romania): A time series analysis.

PubMed

Duliu, Octavian G; Varlam, Carmen; Shnawaw, Muataz Dheyaa

2018-05-16

To get more information on the origin of tritium and to evidence any possible presence of anthropogenic sources, between January 1999 and December 2016, the precipitation level and tritium concentration were monthly recorded and investigated by the Cryogenic Institute of Ramnicu Valcea, Romania. Compared with similar data covering a radius of about 1200 km westward, the measurements gave similar results concerning the time evolution of tritium content and precipitation level for the entire time interval excepting the period between 2009 and 2011 when the tritium concentrations showed a slight increase, most probable due to the activity of neighboring experimental pilot plant for tritium and deuterium separation. Regardless this fact, all data pointed towards a steady tendency of tritium concentrations to decrease with an annual rate of about 1.4 ± 0.05%. The experimental data on precipitation levels and tritium concentrations form two complete time series whose time series analysis showed, at p < 0.01, the presence of a single one-year periodicity whose coincident maximums which correspond to late spring - early summer months suggest the existence of the Spring Leak mechanism with a possible contribution of the soil moisture remobilization during the warm period. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Landscape Change Detected Over A 60 Year Period In The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, Using High Resolution Aerial Photographs And Satellite Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jorgenson, J. C.; Jorgenson, M. T.; Boldenow, M.; Orndahl, K. M.

2016-12-01

We documented landscape change over a 60 year period in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Alaska using aerial photographs and satellite images. We used a stratified random sample to allow inference to the whole refuge (78,050 km2), with five random sites in each of seven ecoregions. Each site (2 km2) had a systematic grid of 100 points for a total of 3500 points. We chose study sites in the overlap area covered by acceptable imagery in three time periods: aerial photographs from 1947 - 1955 and 1978 - 1988, Quick Bird and IKONOS satellite images from 2000 - 2007.At each point a 10 meter radius circle was visually evaluated in ARC-MAP for each time period for vegetation type, disturbance, presence of ice wedge polygon microtopography and surface water. A landscape change category was assigned to each point based on differences detected between the three periods. Change types were assigned for time interval 1, interval 2 and overall. Additional explanatory variables included elevation, slope, aspect, geology, physiography and temperature. Overall, 23% of points changed over the study period. Fire was the most common change agent, affecting 28% of the Boreal Forest points. The next most common change was degradation of soil ice wedges (thermokarst), detected at 12% of the points on the North Slope Tundra. The other most common changes included increase in cover of trees or shrubs (7% of Boreal Forest and Brooks Range points) and erosion or deposition on river floodplains and at the Beaufort Sea coast. Changes on the North Slope Tundra tended to be related to landscape wetting, mainly thermokarst. Changes in the Boreal Forest tended to involve landscape drying, including fire, reduced area of lakes and tree increase on wet sites. The second time interval coincided with a shift towards a warmer climate and had greater change in several categories including thermokarst, lake changes and tree and shrub increase.

Wind Magnetic Clouds for the Period 2013 - 2015: Model Fitting, Types, Associated Shock Waves, and Comparisons to Other Periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lepping, R. P.; Wu, C.-C.; Berdichevsky, D. B.; Szabo, A.

2018-04-01

We give the results of parameter fitting of the magnetic clouds (MCs) observed by the Wind spacecraft for the three-year period 2013 to the end of 2015 (called the "Present" period) using the MC model of Lepping, Jones, and Burlaga ( J. Geophys. Res. 95, 11957, 1990). The Present period is almost coincident with the solar maximum of the sunspot number, which has a broad peak starting in about 2012 and extending to almost 2015. There were 49 MCs identified in the Present period. The modeling gives MC quantities such as size, axial attitude, field handedness, axial magnetic-field strength, center time, and closest-approach vector. Derived quantities are also estimated, such as axial magnetic flux, axial current density, and total axial current. Quality estimates are assigned representing excellent, fair/good, and poor. We provide error estimates on the specific fit parameters for the individual MCs, where the poor cases are excluded. Model-fitting results that are based on the Present period are compared to the results of the full Wind mission from 1995 to the end of 2015 (Long-term period), and compared to the results of two other recent studies that encompassed the periods 2007 - 2009 and 2010 - 2012, inclusive. We see that during the Present period, the MCs are, on average, slightly slower, slightly weaker in axial magnetic field (by 8.7%), and larger in diameter (by 6.5%) than those in the Long-term period. However, in most respects, the MCs in the Present period are significantly closer in characteristics to those of the Long-term period than to those of the two recent three-year periods. However, the rate of occurrence of MCs for the Long-term period is 10.3 year^{-1}, whereas this rate for the Present period is 16.3 year^{-1}, similar to that of the period 2010 - 2012. Hence, the MC occurrence rate has increased appreciably in the last six years. MC Type (N-S, S-N, All N, All S, etc.) is assigned to each MC; there is an inordinately large percentage of All S

Burden of herpes zoster requiring hospitalization in Spain during a seven-year period (1998–2004)

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background A thorough epidemiological surveillance and a good understanding of the burden of diseases associated to VZV are crucial to asses any potential impact of a prevention strategy. A population-based retrospective epidemiological study to estimate the burden of herpes zoster requiring hospitalization in Spain was conducted. Methods This study was conducted by using data from the national surveillance system for hospital data, Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos (CMBD). Records of all patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of herpes zoster (ICD-9-MC codes 053.0–053.9) during a 7-year period (1998–2004) were selected. Results A total of 23,584 hospitalizations with a primary or secondary diagnosis of herpes zoster in patients ≥ 30 years of age were identified during the study period. Annually there were 13.4 hospitalizations for herpes zoster per 100,000 population in patients ≥ 30 years of age. The rate increases with age reaching a maximum in persons ≥ 80 years of age (54.3 admissions per 100,000 population >80 years of age). The mean cost of a hospitalization for herpes zoster in adult patients was 3,720 €. The estimated annual cost of hospitalizations for herpes zoster in patients ≥ 30 years of age in Spain was 12,731,954 €. Conclusion Herpes zoster imposes an important burden of hospitalizations and result in large cost expenses to the Spanish National Health System, especially in population older than 50 years of age PMID:19422687

Periodic fluctuations in correlation-based connectivity density time series: Application to wind speed-monitoring network in Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laib, Mohamed; Telesca, Luciano; Kanevski, Mikhail

2018-02-01

In this paper, we study the periodic fluctuations of connectivity density time series of a wind speed-monitoring network in Switzerland. By using the correlogram-based robust periodogram annual periodic oscillations were found in the correlation-based network. The intensity of such annual periodic oscillations is larger for lower correlation thresholds and smaller for higher. The annual periodicity in the connectivity density seems reasonably consistent with the seasonal meteo-climatic cycle.

The vaginal microbiota over an 8- to 10-year period in a cohort of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected women.

PubMed

Mehta, Supriya D; Donovan, Brock; Weber, Kathleen M; Cohen, Mardge; Ravel, Jacques; Gajer, Pawel; Gilbert, Douglas; Burgad, Derick; Spear, Greg T

2015-01-01

We identified predominant vaginal microbiota communities, changes over time, and how this varied by HIV status and other factors in a cohort of 64 women. Bacterial DNA was extracted from reposited cervicovaginal lavage samples collected annually over an 8-10 year period from Chicago Women's Interagency HIV Study participants: 22 HIV-negative, 22 HIV-positive with stable infection, 20 HIV-positive with progressive infection. The vaginal microbiota was defined by pyrosequencing of the V1/V2 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Scheduled visits included Bacterial vaginsosis (BV) screening; clinically detected cases were referred for treatment. Hierarchical clustering identified bacterial community state types (CST). Multinomial mixed effects modeling determined trends over time in CST, by HIV status and other factors. The median follow-up time was 8.1 years (range 5.5-15.3). Six CSTs were identified. The mean relative abundance (RA) of Lactobacillus spp. by CST (with median number of bacterial taxa) was: CST-1-25.7% (10), CST-2-27.1% (11), CST-3-34.6% (9), CST-4-46.8% (9), CST-5-57.9% (4), CST-6-69.4% (2). The two CSTs representing the highest RA of Lactobacillus and lowest diversity increased with each additional year of follow-up (CST-5, adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.62 [95% CI: 1.34-1.94]; CST-6, aOR = 1.57 [95 CI: 1.31-1.89]), while the two CSTs representing lowest RA of Lactobacillus and higher diversity decreased with each additional year (CST-1, aOR = 0.89 [95% CI: 0.80-1.00]; CST-2, aOR = 0.86 [95% CI: 0.75-0.99]). There was no association between HIV status and CST at baseline or over time. CSTs representing lower RA of Lactobacillus were associated with current cigarette smoking. The vaginal microbial community significantly improved over time in this cohort of women with HIV and at high risk for HIV who had regular detection and treatment referral for BV.

Effects of combined linear and nonlinear periodic training on physical fitness and competition times in finswimmers.

PubMed

Yu, Kyung-Hun; Suk, Min-Hwa; Kang, Shin-Woo; Shin, Yun-A

2014-10-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of combined linear and nonlinear periodic training on physical fitness and competition times in finswimmers. The linear resistance training model (6 days/week) and nonlinear underwater training (4 days/week) were applied to 12 finswimmers (age, 16.08± 1.44 yr; career, 3.78± 1.90 yr) for 12 weeks. Body composition measures included weight, body mass index (BMI), percent fat, and fat-free mass. Physical fitness measures included trunk flexion forward, trunk extension backward, sargent jump, 1-repetition-maximum (1 RM) squat, 1 RM dead lift, knee extension, knee flexion, trunk extension, trunk flexion, and competition times. Body composition and physical fitness were improved after the 12-week periodic training program. Weight, BMI, and percent fat were significantly decreased, and trunk flexion forward, trunk extension backward, sargent jump, 1 RM squat, 1 RM dead lift, and knee extension (right) were significantly increased. The 50- and 100-m times significantly decreased in all 12 athletes. After 12 weeks of training, all finswimmers who participated in this study improved their times in a public competition. These data indicate that combined linear and nonlinear periodic training enhanced the physical fitness and competition times in finswimmers.

Changes in Contributions of Swimming, Cycling, and Running Performances on Overall Triathlon Performance Over a 26-Year Period.

PubMed

Figueiredo, Pedro; Marques, Elisa A; Lepers, Romuald

2016-09-01

Figueiredo, P, Marques, EA, and Lepers, R. Changes in contributions of swimming, cycling, and running performances on overall triathlon performance over a 26-year period. J Strength Cond Res 30(9): 2406-2415, 2016-This study examined the changes in the individual contribution of each discipline to the overall performance of Olympic and Ironman distance triathlons among men and women. Between 1989 and 2014, overall performances and their component disciplines (swimming, cycling and running) were analyzed from the top 50 overall male and female finishers. Regression analyses determined that for the Olympic distance, the split times in swimming and running decreased over the years (r = 0.25-0.43, p ≤ 0.05), whereas the cycling split and total time remained unchanged (p > 0.05), for both sexes. For the Ironman distance, the cycling and running splits and the total time decreased (r = 0.19-0.88, p ≤ 0.05), whereas swimming time remained stable, for both men and women. The average contribution of the swimming stage (∼18%) was smaller than the cycling and running stages (p ≤ 0.05), for both distances and both sexes. Running (∼47%) and then cycling (∼36%) had the greatest contribution to overall performance for the Olympic distance (∼47%), whereas for the Ironman distance, cycling and running presented similar contributions (∼40%, p > 0.05). Across the years, in the Olympic distance, swimming contribution significantly decreased for women and men (r = 0.51 and 0.68, p < 0.001, respectively), whereas running increased for men (r = 0.33, p = 0.014). In the Ironman distance, swimming and cycling contributions changed in an undulating fashion, being inverse between the two segments, for both sexes (p < 0.01), whereas running contribution decreased for men only (r = 0.61, p = 0.001). These findings highlight that strategies to improve running performance should be the main focus on the preparation to compete in the Olympic distance; whereas, in the Ironman, both

Identifying the Critical Time Period for Information Extraction when Recognizing Sequences of Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

North, Jamie S.; Williams, A. Mark

2008-01-01

The authors attempted to determine the critical time period for information extraction when recognizing play sequences in soccer. Although efforts have been made to identify the perceptual information underpinning such decisions, no researchers have attempted to determine "when" this information may be extracted from the display. The authors…

Generational and time period differences in American adolescents' religious orientation, 1966-2014.

PubMed

Twenge, Jean M; Exline, Julie J; Grubbs, Joshua B; Sastry, Ramya; Campbell, W Keith

2015-01-01

In four large, nationally representative surveys (N = 11.2 million), American adolescents and emerging adults in the 2010s (Millennials) were significantly less religious than previous generations (Boomers, Generation X) at the same age. The data are from the Monitoring the Future studies of 12th graders (1976-2013), 8th and 10th graders (1991-2013), and the American Freshman survey of entering college students (1966-2014). Although the majority of adolescents and emerging adults are still religiously involved, twice as many 12th graders and college students, and 20%-40% more 8th and 10th graders, never attend religious services. Twice as many 12th graders and entering college students in the 2010s (vs. the 1960s-70s) give their religious affiliation as "none," as do 40%-50% more 8th and 10th graders. Recent birth cohorts report less approval of religious organizations, are less likely to say that religion is important in their lives, report being less spiritual, and spend less time praying or meditating. Thus, declines in religious orientation reach beyond affiliation to religious participation and religiosity, suggesting a movement toward secularism among a growing minority. The declines are larger among girls, Whites, lower-SES individuals, and in the Northeastern U.S., very small among Blacks, and non-existent among political conservatives. Religious affiliation is lower in years with more income inequality, higher median family income, higher materialism, more positive self-views, and lower social support. Overall, these results suggest that the lower religious orientation of Millennials is due to time period or generation, and not to age.

[Obesity and complementary feeding time: a period at risk].

PubMed

Vidailhet, M

2010-12-01

Relation between rapid growth during the first months of life and secondary risk of excessive adiposity is well demonstrated. Many works have indicated a birth feeding effect on weight gain during the first year of life and a protective effect towards later childhood and adult obesity. However all these studies are observational and several works denied this protective effect. Concerning complementary feeding, 3 interventional, randomized, studies achieved between 4 and 6 months of age, showed a good regulation of caloric intake and no weight gain modification due to complementary foods. Most of others studies are observational and don't show any relation between time of introduction of complementary foods and later fat mass. However 3 recent studies indicate, respectively at 7, 10 and 42 years of age, an increased adiposity, suggesting the possibility of a programmed excessive fat gain induced by an early complementary foods introduction. Very few studies have evaluated, besides the time of weaning, the kind, quantity and caloric density of foods used as complements, whereas other recent studies show the importance of appetite differences since the first months of life and the importance of genetic influence on these variations. Others works have emphasized the possible role of an excessive protein intake during the first 2 years of life. So, it appears that it may be necessary to pay attention not only on the date, but also on the kind and quantity of complementary foods, particularly in infants at risk for obesity, because of parental obesity, rapid weight growth or an excessive appetite. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Epidemiology of Cervical Spine Injuries in High School Athletes Over a Ten-Year Period.

PubMed

Meron, Adele; McMullen, Christopher; Laker, Scott R; Currie, Dustin; Comstock, R Dawn

2018-04-01

More than 7 million athletes participate in high school sports annually, with both the benefits of physical activity and risks of injury. Although catastrophic cervical spine injuries have been studied, limited data are available that characterize less-severe cervical spine injuries in high school athletes. To describe and compare cervical spine injury rates and patterns among U.S. high school athletes across 24 sports over a 10-year period. Descriptive epidemiology study. National sample of high schools participating in the High School Reporting Information Online injury surveillance system. Athletes from participating schools injured in a school sanctioned practice, competition, or performance during the 2005-2006 through 2014-2015 academic years. Cervical spine injury data captured by the High School Reporting Information Online system during the 10-year study period were examined. Cervical spine injury was defined as any injury to the cervical spinal cord, bones, nerves, or supporting structures of the cervical spine including muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Cervical spine injury rates, diagnoses, mechanisms, and severities. During the study period, 1080 cervical spine injuries were reported during 35,581,036 athlete exposures for an injury rate of 3.04 per 100,000 athlete exposures. Injury rates were highest in football (10.10), wrestling (7.42), and girls' gymnastics (4.95). Muscle injuries were most common (63.1%), followed by nerve injuries (20.5%). A larger proportion of football injuries were nerve injuries compared with all other sports (injury proportion ratio 3.31; confidence interval 2.33-4.72), whereas in boys' ice hockey fractures represented a greater proportion of injuries compared with all other sports (injury proportion ratio 7.64; confidence interval 2.10-27.83). Overall, the most common mechanisms of injury were contact with another player (70.7%) and contact with playing surface (16.1%). Cervical spine injury rates and patterns vary by sport

Coastal Wind Profiles In The Mediterranean Area From A Wind Lidar During A Two Year Period

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gullì, Daniel; Avolio, Elenio; Calidonna, Claudia Roberta; Lo Feudo, Teresa; Torcasio, Rosa Claudia; Sempreviva, Anna Maria

2017-04-01

Reliable measurements of vertical profiles of wind speed and direction are the basis for testing models and methodologies of use for wind energy assessment. Modelling coastal areas further introduce the challenge of the coastal discontinuity, which is often not accurately resolved in meso-scale numerical model. Here, we present the analysis of two year of 10-minute averaged wind speed and direction vertical profiles collected during a two-year period from a Wind- lidar ZEPHIR 300® at a coastal suburban area. The lidar is located at the SUPER SITE of CNR-ISAC section of Lamezia Terme, Italy and both dataset and site are unique in the Mediterranean area. The instrument monitors at 10 vertical levels, from 10 m up to 300 m. The analysis is classified according to season, and wind directions for offshore and offshore flow. For onshore flow, we note an atmospheric layer at around 100 m that likely represents the effect an internal boundary layer caused by the sharp coastal discontinuity of the surface characteristics. For offshore flows, the profiles show a layer ranging between 80m and 100m, which might be ascribed to the land night time boundary layer combined to the impact of the building around the mast.

Measured airtightness of 24 detached houses over periods of up to three years

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Proskiw, G.

1995-09-01

Regular airtightness tests were performed on 24 new houses, over periods of up to three years, to evaluate their air barrier systems and to search for evidence, air barrier degradation. Ten of the houses were constructed with polyethylene air barriers while the remaining 14 used an early version of the Airtight Drywall Approach (ADA). The 24 project houses were architecturally similar and of approximately equal size and general layout; stucco was the predominate exterior wall finish. All were exposed to similar terrain shielding. The study found that the airtightness of the polyethylene air barrier houses remained stable over their respectivemore » monitoring periods. Although two of the ten houses demonstrated possible, albeit slight, evidence of airtightness degradation, the magnitude of these changes was small and judged not to be of practical significance. With respect to the critical issue of air barrier degradation, no evidence could be found to indicate polyethylene is unsuited for use as an air barrier material in residential construction. For example, all but one of the polyethylene houses met the airtightness requirements of the Canadian R-2000 Standard for energy efficient housing at the end of their monitoring periods. The study found that the airtightness of the 14 ADA houses also remained stable over their monitoring periods. Although six of the 14 houses displayed possible, but slight, evidence of airtightness degradation, the magnitude of the changes was small and not of practical significance. It was concluded that no evidence could be found to indicate that the ADA system is unsuited for use in residential construction. All 14 ADA houses met the airtightness requirements of the R-2000 Program at the end of their respective monitoring periods.« less

Observation of Markarian 421 in TeV Gamma Rays Over a 14-Year Time Span

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Acciari, V. A.; Arlen, T.; Aune, T.; Benbow, W.; Bird, R.; Bouvier, A.; Bradbury, S. M.; Buckley, J. H.; Bugaev, V.; McEnery, Julie E.

2013-01-01

The variability of the blazar Markarian 421 in TeV gamma rays over a 14-year time period has been explored with theWhipple 10 m telescope. It is shown that the dynamic range of its flux variations is large and similar to that in X-rays. A correlation between the X-ray and TeV energy bands is observed during some bright flares and when the complete data sets are binned on long timescales. The main database consists of 878.4 hours of observation with theWhipple telescope, spread over 783 nights. The peak energy response of the telescope was 400 GeV with 20% uncertainty. This is the largest database of any TeV-emitting active galactic nucleus (AGN) and hence was used to explore the variability profile of Markarian 421. The time-averaged flux from Markarian 421 over this period was 0.446+/-0.008 Crab flux units. The flux exceeded 10 Crab flux units on three separate occasions. For the 2000-2001 season the average flux reached 1.86 Crab units, while in the 1996-1997 season the average flux was only 0.23 Crab units.

Environmental Volunteering and Health Outcomes over a 20-Year Period

PubMed Central

Pillemer, Karl; Fuller-Rowell, Thomas E.; Reid, M. C.; Wells, Nancy M.

2010-01-01

Purpose: This study tested the hypothesis that volunteering in environmental organizations in midlife is associated with greater physical activity and improved mental and physical health over a 20-year period.  Design and Methods: The study used data from two waves (1974 and 1994) of the Alameda County Study, a longitudinal study of health and mortality that has followed a cohort of 6,928 adults since 1965. Using logistic and multiple regression models, we examined the prospective association between environmental and other volunteerism and three outcomes (physical activity, self-reported health, and depression), with 1974 volunteerism predicting 1994 outcomes, controlling for a number of relevant covariates.  Results: Midlife environmental volunteering was significantly associated with physical activity, self-reported health, and depressive symptoms.  Implications: This population-based study offers the first epidemiological evidence for a significant positive relationship between environmental volunteering and health and well-being outcomes. Further research, including intervention studies, is needed to confirm and shed additional light on these initial findings. PMID:20172902

Detecting trends in landscape pattern metrics over a 20-year period using a sampling-based monitoring programme

USGS Publications Warehouse

Griffith, J.A.; Stehman, S.V.; Sohl, Terry L.; Loveland, Thomas R.

2003-01-01

Temporal trends in landscape pattern metrics describing texture, patch shape and patch size were evaluated in the US Middle Atlantic Coastal Plain Ecoregion. The landscape pattern metrics were calculated for a sample of land use/cover data obtained for four points in time from 1973-1992. The multiple sampling dates permit evaluation of trend, whereas availability of only two sampling dates allows only evaluation of change. Observed statistically significant trends in the landscape pattern metrics demonstrated that the sampling-based monitoring protocol was able to detect a trend toward a more fine-grained landscape in this ecoregion. This sampling and analysis protocol is being extended spatially to the remaining 83 ecoregions in the US and temporally to the year 2000 to provide a national and regional synthesis of the temporal and spatial dynamics of landscape pattern covering the period 1973-2000.

Refractory periods and climate forcing in cholera dynamics.

PubMed

Koelle, Katia; Rodó, Xavier; Pascual, Mercedes; Yunus, Md; Mostafa, Golam

2005-08-04

Outbreaks of many infectious diseases, including cholera, malaria and dengue, vary over characteristic periods longer than 1 year. Evidence that climate variability drives these interannual cycles has been highly controversial, chiefly because it is difficult to isolate the contribution of environmental forcing while taking into account nonlinear epidemiological dynamics generated by mechanisms such as host immunity. Here we show that a critical interplay of environmental forcing, specifically climate variability, and temporary immunity explains the interannual disease cycles present in a four-decade cholera time series from Matlab, Bangladesh. We reconstruct the transmission rate, the key epidemiological parameter affected by extrinsic forcing, over time for the predominant strain (El Tor) with a nonlinear population model that permits a contributing effect of intrinsic immunity. Transmission shows clear interannual variability with a strong correspondence to climate patterns at long periods (over 7 years, for monsoon rains and Brahmaputra river discharge) and at shorter periods (under 7 years, for flood extent in Bangladesh, sea surface temperatures in the Bay of Bengal and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation). The importance of the interplay between extrinsic and intrinsic factors in determining disease dynamics is illustrated during refractory periods, when population susceptibility levels are low as the result of immunity and the size of cholera outbreaks only weakly reflects climate forcing.

Time trend and age-period-cohort effect on kidney cancer mortality in Europe, 1981-2000.

PubMed

Pérez-Farinós, Napoleón; López-Abente, Gonzalo; Pastor-Barriuso, Roberto

2006-05-03

The incorporation of diagnostic and therapeutic improvements, as well as the different smoking patterns, may have had an influence on the observed variability in renal cancer mortality across Europe. This study examined time trends in kidney cancer mortality in fourteen European countries during the last two decades of the 20th century. Kidney cancer deaths and population estimates for each country during the period 1981-2000 were drawn from the World Health Organization Mortality Database. Age- and period-adjusted mortality rates, as well as annual percentage changes in age-adjusted mortality rates, were calculated for each country and geographical region. Log-linear Poisson models were also fitted to study the effect of age, death period, and birth cohort on kidney cancer mortality rates within each country. For men, the overall standardized kidney cancer mortality rates in the eastern, western, and northern European countries were 20, 25, and 53% higher than those for the southern European countries, respectively. However, age-adjusted mortality rates showed a significant annual decrease of -0.7% in the north of Europe, a moderate rise of 0.7% in the west, and substantial increases of 1.4% in the south and 2.0% in the east. This trend was similar among women, but with lower mortality rates. Age-period-cohort models showed three different birth-cohort patterns for both men and women: a decrease in mortality trend for those generations born after 1920 in the Nordic countries, a similar but lagged decline for cohorts born after 1930 in western and southern European countries, and a continuous increase throughout all birth cohorts in eastern Europe. Similar but more heterogeneous regional patterns were observed for period effects. Kidney cancer mortality trends in Europe showed a clear north-south pattern, with high rates on a downward trend in the north, intermediate rates on a more marked rising trend in the east than in the west, and low rates on an upward trend

The Changes of Arterial Blood Gases in COPD During Four-year Period

PubMed Central

Cukic, Vesna

2014-01-01

ABSTRACT Introduction: COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible and that can lead to respiratory failure. Objective: to show the changes of arterial blood gases in COPD during the 4 -year evolution of illness. Material and Methods: The research was done on patients suffering from COPD treated at the Clinic “Podhrastovi” during 2006 and 2007 year. The tested parameters were examined from the date of receiving patient with COPD to hospital treatment in 2006 and 2007 and then followed prospectively until 2010 or 2011 year (the follow-up period was 4 years). There were total 199 treated patients who were chosen at random and regularly attended the control examinations. The study was conducted on adult patients of both sexes, different age group. In each patient the duration of illness was recorded so is sex, age, data of smoking habits, information about the regularity of taking bronchodilator therapy during remissions of disease, about the treatment of disease exacerbations, results of blood gases analysis as follows : pH value, PaO2 (partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood), PaCO2 (partial pressure of carbon dioxide in arterial blood). All these parameters were measured at the beginning and at the end of each hospital treatment. We took in elaboration data obtained in the beginning of the first hospitalization and at the end of the last hospitalization or at the last control in outpatient department when patient was in stable state. Patients were divided into three groups according to the number of exacerbations per year. Results: there is the statistically significant decrease of PaO2 (p<0.01) and pH, (p<0.05) and an increase of PaCO2 (p<0.01) during follow-up period. But in patients regularly treated in phases of remission and exacerbations of illness the course of illness is slower. The decrease of pH and PaO2 and increase of PaCO2 is statistically significantly smaller in those

Primate enamel evinces long period biological timing and regulation of life history.

PubMed

Bromage, Timothy G; Hogg, Russell T; Lacruz, Rodrigo S; Hou, Chen

2012-07-21

The factor(s) regulating the combination of traits that define the overall life history matrix of mammalian species, comprising attributes such as brain and body weight, age at sexual maturity, lifespan and others, remains a complete mystery. The principal objectives of the present research are (1) to provide evidence for a key variable effecting life history integration and (2) to provide a model for how one would go about investigating the metabolic mechanisms responsible for this rhythm. We suggest here that a biological rhythm with a period greater than the circadian rhythm is responsible for observed variation in primate life history. Evidence for this rhythm derives from studies of tooth enamel formation. Enamel contains an enigmatic periodicity in its microstructure called the striae of Retzius, which develops at species specific intervals in units of whole days. We refer to this enamel rhythm as the repeat interval (RI). For primates, we identify statistically significant relationships between RI and all common life history traits. Importantly, RI also correlates with basal and specific metabolic rates. With the exception of estrous cyclicity, all relationships share a dependence upon body mass. This dependence on body mass informs us that some aspect of metabolism is responsible for periodic energy allocations at RI timescales, regulating cell proliferation rates and growth, thus controlling the pace, patterning, and co-variation of life history traits. Estrous cyclicity relates to the long period rhythm in a body mass-independent manner. The mass-dependency and -independency of life history relationships with RI periodicity align with hypothalamic-mediated neurosecretory anterior and posterior pituitary outputs. We term this period the Havers-Halberg Oscillation (HHO), in reference to Clopton Havers, a 17th Century hard tissue anatomist, and Franz Halberg, a long-time explorer of long-period rhythms. We propose a mathematical model that may help elucidate

The incubation period distribution of tuberculosis estimated with a molecular epidemiological approach.

PubMed

Borgdorff, Martien W; Sebek, Maruschka; Geskus, Ronald B; Kremer, Kristin; Kalisvaart, Nico; van Soolingen, Dick

2011-08-01

There is limited information on the distribution of incubation periods of tuberculosis (TB). In The Netherlands, patients whose Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates have identical DNA fingerprints in the period 1993-2007 were interviewed to identify epidemiological links between cases. We determined the incubation period distribution in secondary cases. Survival analysis techniques were used to include secondary cases not yet symptomatic at diagnosis with weighting to adjust for lower capture probabilities of couples with longer time intervals between their diagnoses. In order to deal with missing data, we used multiple imputations. We identified 1095 epidemiologically linked secondary cases, attributed to 688 source cases with pulmonary TB. Of those developing disease within 15 years, the Kaplan-Meier probability to fall ill within 1 year was 45%, within 2 years 62% and within 5 years 83%. The incubation time was shorter in secondary cases who were men, young, those with extra-pulmonary TB and those not reporting previous TB or previous preventive therapy. Molecular epidemiological analysis has allowed a more precise description of the incubation period of TB than was possible in previous studies, including the identification of risk factors for shorter incubation periods.

An analysis of periodicities in the 1470 to 1974 Beijing precipitation record

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hameed, S.; Yeh, W. M.; Cess, R. D.; Wang, W. C.; Li, M. T.

1983-01-01

An analyis of a time series consisting of an annual index of dryness/wetness for the years 1470 to 1974 in Beijing, China is presented. Its power spectrum shows that dominant cycles occur with long periods of the order of 80 years. Cycles with periods of 11 and 22 years are weak or non-existent, but a significant signal at 18.7 years (which is also the period of a component of the lunar tide generating force) is detected. The long term variations in Beijing precipitation appear to lag long term (Gleissberg) variations in solar activity by nearly 75 years. A pattern which spans nearly 150 years in the Beijing record is found to be repeated with notable similarity.

Molecular epidemiology and evolution of avian infectious bronchitis virus in Spain over a fourteen-year period.

PubMed

Dolz, Roser; Pujols, Joan; Ordóñez, German; Porta, Ramon; Majó, Natàlia

2008-04-25

An in-depth molecular study of infectious bronchitis viruses (IBV) with particular interest in evolutionary aspects of IBV in Spain was carried out in the present study based on the S1 gene molecular characterization of twenty-six Spanish strains isolated over a fourteen-year period. Four genotypes were identified based on S1 gene sequence analyses and phylogenetic studies. A drastic virus population shift was demonstrated along time and the novel Italy 02 serotype was shown to have displaced the previous predominant serotype 4/91 in the field. Detailed analyses of synonymous to non-synonymous ratio of the S1 gene sequences of this new serotype Italy 02 suggested positive selection pressures might have contributed to the successful establishment of Italy 02 serotype in our country. In addition, differences on the fitness abilities of new emergent genotypes were indicated. Furthermore, intergenic sequences (IGs)-like motifs within S1 gene sequences of IBV isolates were suggested to enhance the recombination abilities of certain serotypes.

37 CFR 41.40 - Tolling of time period to file a reply brief.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 37 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Tolling of time period to file a reply brief. 41.40 Section 41.40 Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights UNITED STATES PATENT AND TRADEMARK OFFICE, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE PRACTICE BEFORE THE PATENT TRIAL AND APPEAL BOARD Ex Parte Appeals...

Mid-Term Quasi-Periodicities and Solar Cycle Variation of the White-Light Corona from 18.5 Years (1996.0 - 2014.5) of LASCO Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barlyaeva, T.; Lamy, P.; Llebaria, A.

2015-07-01

We report on the analysis of the temporal evolution of the solar corona based on 18.5 years (1996.0 - 2014.5) of white-light observations with the SOHO/LASCO-C2 coronagraph. This evolution is quantified by generating spatially integrated values of the K-corona radiance, first globally, then in latitudinal sectors. The analysis considers time series of monthly values and 13-month running means of the radiance as well as several indices and proxies of solar activity. We study correlation, wavelet time-frequency spectra, and cross-coherence and phase spectra between these quantities. Our results give a detailed insight on how the corona responds to solar activity over timescales ranging from mid-term quasi-periodicities (also known as quasi-biennial oscillations or QBOs) to the long-term 11 year solar cycle. The amplitude of the variation between successive solar maxima and minima (modulation factor) very much depends upon the strength of the cycle and upon the heliographic latitude. An asymmetry is observed during the ascending phase of Solar Cycle 24, prominently in the royal and polar sectors, with north leading. Most prominent QBOs are a quasi-annual period during the maximum phase of Solar Cycle 23 and a shorter period, seven to eight months, in the ascending and maximum phases of Solar Cycle 24. They share the same properties as the solar QBOs: variable periodicity, intermittency, asymmetric development in the northern and southern solar hemispheres, and largest amplitudes during the maximum phase of solar cycles. The strongest correlation of the temporal variations of the coronal radiance - and consequently the coronal electron density - is found with the total magnetic flux. Considering that the morphology of the solar corona is also directly controlled by the topology of the magnetic field, this correlation reinforces the view that they are intimately connected, including their variability at all timescales.

Bipolar femoral head arthroplasty in osteoarthritis. A prospective study with a minimum 5-year follow-up period.

PubMed

Pandit, R

1996-08-01

Primary bipolar femoral head arthroplasties performed on 100 osteoarthritic hips were studied to a minimum of 5 years after surgery. All arthroplasties were performed on physically active patients. At a mean follow-up period of 5.5 years, The Hospital for Special Surgery hip scores were good to excellent in 96 hips. Transient startup soreness constituted the most frequent complaint, occurring in 34 hips. Three hips had more persistent pain localized to the acetabulum, necessitating revision to fixed sockets, which alleviated the symptoms. Four additional hips, in heavy, active men, developed polyethylene fatigue fracture and component disassembly. Acetabular migration of more than 5 mm developed in one hip. Motion, as determined radiologically, occurred primarily at the inner bearing. There were no dislocations or infections in the series. The Bateman bipolar prosthesis provides generally good results in osteoarthritic hips. The shorter operating time and the case of revision are special advantages of bipolar devices. Start-up soreness and stiffness is a shortcoming in approximately one third of cases. Component disassembly in heavy, active men is a problem and the bipolar arthroplasty should be avoided in these patients. Start-up soreness was a significant problem in particular.

[Changes in the demand for paediatric neurology care in a spanish tertiary care hospital over a 20-year period].

PubMed

Monge Galindo, L; López-Pisón, J; Samper Villagrasa, P; Peña Segura, J L

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study is to determine the profile of the demand for paediatric neurology care in a Spanish tertiary hospital over the past 20 years. We studied epidemiological data, reasons for consultation, diagnoses and complementary tests from all patients examined by our Paediatric Neurology Unit in its 20 years of service (from May 1990 to March 2010). We also reviewed data from patients whose first visit took place within the last five years (2005-2010) and compared them to data obtained from a prior study carried out in this Unit from 1990 to 1995. To compare the first 5 years (group 1) with the last 5 years (group 2), we calculated confidence intervals, P<.05, for the frequency distribution (%) in each category. Main reasons for consultation and principal diagnoses for the 12726 patients evaluated in the 20-year period, as well as results from group 1 (2046 patients) and group 2 (4488 patients) corresponding to first and the last 5 years of activity respectively, are presented with their confidence intervals in a series of tables. Variations in the reasons for consultation, diagnoses and complementary tests over time reflect changes determined by medical, scientific and social progress, and organisational changes specific to each hospital. This explains the difficulty of comparing different patient series studied consecutively, which are even more pronounced between different hospitals. Copyright © 2012 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Pregnancy diet and offspring asthma risk over a 10-year period: the Lifeways Cross Generation Cohort Study, Ireland.

PubMed

Viljoen, Karien; Segurado, Ricardo; O'Brien, John; Murrin, Celine; Mehegan, John; Kelleher, Cecily C

2018-02-20

The association of maternal pregnancy diet with offspring asthma risk have been reported. However, literature on longitudinal patterns of asthma risk relative to intrauterine nutrient exposure is limited. We aimed to establish whether vegetable, oily fish and vitamin D intake during pregnancy are associated with childhood asthma risk over a 10-year period in the Irish Republic. Mother-child pairs (n=897) from the Lifeways prospective birth cohort, with data on nutrient intake during pregnancy and asthma status, respectively, were eligible for inclusion in the analysis. Data on socioeconomic and morbidity indicators over 10 years of follow-up on mothers and the index child were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Asthma status as diagnosed by the general practitioner at any time point over 10 years was related to maternal vegetable, oily fish and vitamin D intake during pregnancy, while adjusting for gestational age, socioeconomic status, smoking at delivery, breast feeding, season of birth and supplement use. Data were modelled with a marginal model on correlated observations over time within individuals. In the fully adjusted model, asthma was inversely associated with higher daily average intake of oily fish (OR 0.23 per serving/day, 95% CI 0.04 to 1.41) and of vegetables (OR 0.96 per serving/day, 95% CI 0.88 to 1.05), but the confidence limits overlapped 1. A higher daily vitamin D intake was associated with reduced odds of asthma (OR 0.93 per μg/day, 95% CI 0.89 to 0.98). This analysis suggests higher daily average intake of vitamin D in pregnancy is associated with asthma risk in offspring over the first 10 years of life. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Nonradial and radial period changes of the δ Scuti star 4 CVn. II. Systematic behavior over 40 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breger, M.; Montgomery, M. H.; Lenz, P.; Pamyatnykh, A. A.

2017-03-01

Aims: Radial and nonradial pulsators on and near the main sequence show period and amplitude changes that are too large to be the product of stellar evolution. The multiperiodic δ Sct stars are well suited to study this, as the period changes of different modes excited in the same star can be compared. This requires a very large amount of photometric data covering years and decades as well as mode identifications. Methods: We have examined over 800 nights of high-precision photometry of the multiperiodic pulsator 4 CVn obtained from 1966 through 2012. Because most of the data were obtained in adjacent observing seasons, it is possible to derive very accurate period values for a number of the excited pulsation modes and to study their systematic changes from 1974 to 2012. Results: Most pulsation modes show systematic significant period and amplitude changes on a timescale of decades. For the well-studied modes, around 1986 a general reversal of the directions of both the positive and negative period changes occurred. Furthermore, the period changes between the different modes are strongly correlated, although they differ in size and sign. For the modes with known values of the spherical degree and azimuthal order, we find a correlation between the direction of the period changes and the identified azimuthal order, m. The associated amplitude changes generally have similar timescales of years or decades, but show little systematic or correlated behavior from mode to mode. Conclusions: A natural explanation for the opposite behavior of the prograde and retrograde modes is that their period changes are driven by a changing rotation profile. The changes in the rotation profile could in turn be driven by processes, perhaps the pulsations themselves, that redistribute angular momentum within the star. In general, different modes have different rotation kernels, so this will produce period shifts of varying magnitude for different modes.

Period doubling in period-one steady states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Reuben R. W.; Xing, Bo; Carlo, Gabriel G.; Poletti, Dario

2018-02-01

Nonlinear classical dissipative systems present a rich phenomenology in their "route to chaos," including period doubling, i.e., the system evolves with a period which is twice that of the driving. However, typically the attractor of a periodically driven quantum open system evolves with a period which exactly matches that of the driving. Here, we analyze a periodically driven many-body open quantum system whose classical correspondent presents period doubling. We show that by studying the dynamical correlations, it is possible to show the occurrence of period doubling in the quantum (period-one) steady state. We also discuss that such systems are natural candidates for clean and intrinsically robust Floquet time crystals.

Effect of polaprezinc on oral mucositis, irradiation period, and time to discharge in patients with head and neck cancer.

PubMed

Suzuki, Akio; Kobayashi, Ryo; Shakui, Toshinobu; Kubota, Yukimasa; Fukita, Masaharu; Kuze, Bunya; Aoki, Mitsuhiro; Sugiyama, Tadashi; Mizuta, Keisuke; Itoh, Yoshinori

2016-09-01

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether polaprezinc suspension in sodium alginate (P-AG) reduces the irradiation period and time to discharge after completion of radiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancer. The incidence and severity of oral mucositis, the irradiation period, and the time to discharge in patients who received radiotherapy with head and neck cancer were investigated retrospectively from the medical records. The incidence of grade 3 oral mucositis was significantly lower in the P-AG group than in the control group (16.5% vs 52.0%; p = .0003). P-AG also significantly reduced median duration of radiotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.557; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.357-0.871; p = .0149) and median time to discharge after completion of radiotherapy (HR = 0.604; 95% CI = 0.386-0.946; p = .028). P-AG reduced the irradiation period and the time to discharge after completion of radiotherapy by preventing oral mucositis in patients with head and neck cancer. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1387-1392, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Growth in early life and the development of obesity by age 9 years: are there critical periods and a role for an early life stressor?

PubMed

Giles, L C; Whitrow, M J; Rumbold, A R; Davies, C E; de Stavola, B; Pitcher, J B; Davies, M J; Moore, V M

2013-04-01

Rapid growth, possibly occurring in critical periods in early life, may be important for the development of obesity. It is unknown whether this is influenced by postnatal exposures such as age-relevant sources of stress. Frequent house moves may be one such stressor. We aimed to examine if there is a period of growth in early life critical for the development of child obesity by age 9 years and assess the role of house moves in modifying any relationships between early life growth and obesity at age 9 years. Prospective Australian birth cohort study. In all, 392 children with serial body size measurements from birth to age 9 years. Standardized body mass index (z-BMI) was available for six time points (spanning birth to 3½ years), and the total number of house moves between birth and 3½ years. The outcomes considered were z-BMI and % body fat (%BF) at age 9 years. Linear regression models were used to estimate the effects of serial measurements of z-BMI and number of house moves on the outcomes. Life-course plots showed that z-BMI at 3½ years was a statistically significant predictor of z-BMI at 9 years (β=0.80; standard error (s.e.), 0.04), whereas z-BMI at 9 months (β=-1.13; s.e., 0.40) and 3½ years (β=4.82; s.e., 0.42) were significant predictors of %BF at age 9 years. There were statistically significant interactions between the number of house moves and change in z-BMI between 9 and 12 months, such that ≥ 3 house moves in early life amplified the detrimental effects of earlier rapid growth on both body size and composition at age 9 years. In the absence of evidence for a single critical period, efforts to prevent overweight and obesity are required throughout childhood. In addition, modifiable postnatal stressors may exacerbate effects of early growth on obesity in later childhood.

Changes in the use practitioner-based complementary and alternative medicine over time in Canada: Cohort and period effects

PubMed Central

Canizares, Mayilee; Hogg-Johnson, Sheilah; Gignac, Monique A. M.; Glazier, Richard H.; Badley, Elizabeth M.

2017-01-01

Background The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is growing. However the factors contributing to changes over time and to birth cohort differences in CAM use are not well understood. Setting We used data from 10186 participants, who were aged 20–69 years at the first cycle of data collection in the longitudinal component of the Canadian National Population Health Survey (1994/95-2010/11). We examined chiropractic and other practitioner-based CAM use with a focus on five birth cohorts: pre-World War II (born 1925–1934); World War II (born 1935–1944); older baby boomers (born 1945–1954); younger baby boomers (born 1955–1964); and Gen Xers (born 1965–1974). The survey collected data every two years on predisposing (e.g., sex, education), enabling (e.g., income), behavior-related factors (e.g., obesity), need (e.g., chronic conditions), and use of conventional care (primary care and specialists). Results The findings suggest that, at corresponding ages, more recent cohorts reported greater CAM (OR = 25.9, 95% CI: 20.0; 33.6 for Gen Xers vs. pre-World War) and chiropractic use than their predecessors (OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.7; 2.8 for Gen Xers vs. pre-World War). There was also a secular trend of increasing CAM use, but not chiropractic use, over time (period effect) across all ages. Factors associated with cohort differences were different for CAM and chiropractic use. Cohort differences in CAM use were partially related to a period effect of increasing CAM use over time across all ages while cohort differences in chiropractic use were related to the higher prevalence of chronic conditions among recent cohorts. The use of conventional care was positively related to greater CAM use (OR = 1.8, 95% CI: 1.6; 2.0) and chiropractic use (OR = 1.2, 95% CI: 1.1; 1.4) but did not contribute to changes over time or to cohort differences in CAM and chiropractic use. Conclusion The higher CAM use over time and in recent cohorts could reflect how recent

Is the use of underwater polarized light by fish restricted to crepuscular time periods?

PubMed

Novales Flamarique, I; Hawryshyn, C W

1997-04-01

We measured the spectral distributions of the underwater total and polarized light fields in the upper photic zone of meso-eutrophic waters (i.e., blue-green waters containing medium to high chlorophyll a concentrations). Per cent polarization levels during the day were always lower than 40%, but at crepuscular times these values could increase to 67%. A corresponding change occurred in the spectral distribution, with proportionately more shorter wavelength photons contributing to the total spectrum during crepuscular periods. Electrophysiological recordings from the optic nerve of rainbow trout subjected to light stimuli of varying polarization percentages show that the animal's threshold for detecting polarized light is between 63 and 72%. These physiological findings suggest that the use of water-induced polarized light cues by rainbow trout and similar percomorph fish should be restricted to crepuscular time periods.

[Spectrum of primary immunodeficiencies in a tertiary hospital over a period of 10 years].

PubMed

Martín-Nalda, A; Soler-Palacín, P; Español Borén, T; Caragol Urgelles, I; Díaz de Heredia Rubio, C; Figueras Nadal, C

2011-02-01

More than 200 primary immunodeficiencies (PID) have been described and about 60% present during childhood. Early diagnosis and treatment have been shown to improve patient outcome. Analysis of patients with a PID diagnosed in a paediatric tertiary care hospital-referral centre over a period of 10 years. Medical records of all paediatric patients followed up in our unit were retrospectively reviewed. Clinical and epidemiological features, laboratory tests, therapy and outcome were analysed. One hundred and eighty nine patients were followed up in this period of time. Antibody disorders were the most common diagnosis. In our series, clinical presentation at diagnosis were: recurrent respiratory infections in selective IgA deficiency and common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) patients, failure to thrive and opportunistic infections (mainly viral infections) in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), skin abscesses (Staphylococcus aureus, Serratia spp.) and complicated pneumonia (Aspergillus spp., Rhodococcus equi) in chronic granulomatous disease, congenital heart disease and consistent phenotype in 22q11 deletion syndrome, skin abscesses and ecthyma gangrenosum in severe congenital neutropenia and opportunistic infections and sepsis (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) in children with X-linked agammaglobulinaemia (XLA). Lymphoproliferative disorders were common in CVID. No malignancies were observed during this period. One patient with XLA developed chronic encephalitis. All patients with CVID and XLA were receiving immunoglobulin replacement therapy (8 intravenous and 14 (since 2006) subcutaneous route) and in all but two SCID patients, stem cell transplantation was performed. Outcome was good in most of them except 8 SCID (2 prior and 6 after transplantation), 3 Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, 1 complete DiGeorge, 1 chronic granulomatous disease and 1 ataxia-telangiectasia patients who died during follow-up. The vast majority of patients included in this series

Antimicrobial resistance trends in Escherichia coli isolated from diseased food-producing animals in France: A 14-year period time-series study.

PubMed

Boireau, C; Morignat, É; Cazeau, G; Jarrige, N; Jouy, É; Haenni, M; Madec, J-Y; Leblond, A; Gay, É

2018-02-01

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among bacteria isolated from food-producing animals is a growing concern with implications for public health. AMR surveillance is essential to identify resistance trends and help in the design of effective and efficient control strategies. The aim of the study was to describe the antimicrobial susceptibility of pathogenic Escherichia coli isolated from three livestock productions in France (cattle, swine and poultry). The trend in resistance to the most commonly prescribed antibiotics in animal health was analysed as follows: amoxicillin (penicillin), spectinomycin or streptomycin (aminoglycoside), tetracycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole/Enrofloxacin and ceftiofur were also taken into account as members of critically important antimicrobial families in human and veterinary medicine, that is fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins, respectively. Data collected between 2002 and 2015 by the French national surveillance network of AMR referred to as RESAPATH were analysed. Resistance trends were investigated using non-linear analysis (generalized additive models) applied to time-series stratified by livestock production and antibiotic. Irrespective of the species and the antibiotic considered, resistance signals over time showed no significant annual cycle. Resistance to third-generation cephalosporins emerged during the period of the study, with a peak at 22% [20.5; 24.0] in poultry in 2010, decreasing afterwards, while it remained consistently below 10% for the other species. The proportion of resistance to fluoroquinolones was broadly similar between species and remained under 30%, with a slight decreasing trend after 2009. Resistances to tetracycline and amoxicillin remained high, between 90% and 40% over time in cattle and swine. After 2010, there was a decrease in resistance to these antibiotics for all species, especially to tetracycline for poultry with a drop from 84% in 2009 to 43% in 2015. These results

An Exercise Prescription Intervention Program with Periodic Ergometric Grading

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Owen, C. A.; Beard, E. F.

1970-01-01

A long term exercise prescription type of physical conditioning program has been available to executive personnel of the NASA Manned Spacecraft Center for the past two years. Periodic ergometric testing with a heart rate controlled, automatically programmed, bicycle ergometer is used to follow the individual's progress and appropriately alter his exercise prescription from time to time. Such a program appears feasible, and acceptance is excellent, dropout rates small and periodic testing participation good. Subjects training diligently can maintain satisfactory levels of conditioning.

The timing of high sea levels over the past 200,000 years

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gallup, C.D.; Edwards, R.L.; Johnson, R.G.

1994-02-11

The [sup 230]Th ages and [sup 234]U/[sup 238]U ratios were determined for Barbados corals that grew during periods of high sea level within the last 200,000 years. The similarity of the initial [sup 234]U/[sup 238]U ratios of some of the corals to the modern marine value suggests that these samples are pristine and that the marine [sup 234]U/[sup 238]U ratio 83,000 and 200,000 years ago was within 2 per mil of the modern value. The accuracies of the [sup 230]Th ages are evaluated on the basis of the [sup 234]U/[sup 238]U values and a model of the behavior of uraniummore » and thorium isotopes during diagenesis. For the last three interglacial and two intervening interstadial periods, sea level peaked at or after peaks in summer insolation in the Northern Hemisphere. This overall pattern supports the idea that glacial-interglacial cycles are caused by changes in Earth's orbital geometry. The sea-level drop at the end of the penultimate interglacial, the last interglacial, and a subsequent interstadial period lagged behind the decrease in insolation by 5,000 to 10,000 years.« less

Prefrontal activity during response inhibition decreases over time in the postpartum period.

PubMed

Bannbers, Elin; Gingnell, Malin; Engman, Jonas; Morell, Arvid; Sylvén, Sara; Skalkidou, Alkistis; Kask, Kristiina; Bäckström, Torbjörn; Wikström, Johan; Poromaa, Inger Sundström

2013-03-15

The postpartum period is characterized by complex hormonal changes, but human imaging studies in the postpartum period have thus far predominantly focused on the neural correlates of maternal behavior or postpartum depression, whereas longitudinal studies on neural correlates of cognitive function across the postpartum period in healthy women are lacking. The aim of this study was to longitudinally examine response inhibition, as a measure of executive function, during the postpartum period and its neural correlates in healthy postpartum women and non-postpartum controls. Thirteen healthy postpartum women underwent event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a Go/NoGo task. The first assessment was made within 48 h of delivery, and the second at 4-7 weeks postpartum. In addition, 13 healthy women examined twice during the menstrual cycle were included as non-postpartum controls. In postpartum women region of interest analyses revealed task-related decreased activations in the right inferior frontal gyrus, right anterior cingulate, and bilateral precentral gyri at the late postpartum assessment. Generally, postpartum women displayed lower activity during response inhibition in the bilateral inferior frontal gyri and precentral gyri compared to non-postpartum controls. No differences in performance on the Go/NoGo task were found between time-points or between groups. In conclusion, this study has discovered that brain activity in prefrontal areas during a response inhibition task decreases throughout the course of the first postpartum weeks and is lower than in non-postpartum controls. Further studies on the normal adaptive brain activity changes that occur during the postpartum period are warranted. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Local fractal analysis of noise-like time series by all permutations method for 1-115 min periods].

PubMed

Panchelyuga, V A; Panchelyuga, M S

2015-01-01

Results of local fractal analysis of 329-per-day time series of 239Pu alpha-decay rate fluctuations by means of all permutations method (APM) are presented. The APM-analysis reveals in the time series some steady frequency set. The coincidence of the frequency set with the Earth natural oscillations was demonstrated. A short review of works by different authors who analyzed the time series of fluctuations in processes of different nature is given. We have shown that the periods observed in those works correspond to the periods revealed in our study. It points to a common mechanism of the phenomenon observed.

Time trends for prostate cancer mortality in Brazil and its geographic regions: An age-period-cohort analysis.

PubMed

Braga, Sonia Faria Mendes; de Souza, Mirian Carvalho; Cherchiglia, Mariangela Leal

2017-10-01

In the 1980s, an increase in mortality rates for prostate cancer was observed in North America and developed European countries. In the 1990s, however, mortality rates decreased for these countries, an outcome related to early detection of the disease. Conversely, an upward trend in mortality rates was observed in Brazil. This study describe the trends in mortality for prostate cancer in Brazil and geographic regions (North, Northeast, South, Southeast, and Central-West) between 1980 until 2014 and analyze the influence of age, period, and cohort effects on mortality rates. This time-series study used data from the Mortality Information System (SIM) and population data from Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE). The effects on mortality rates were examined using age-period-cohort (APC) models. Crude and standardized mortality rates showed an upward trend for Brazil and its regions more than 2-fold the last 30 years. Age effects showed an increased risk of death in all regions. Period effects showed a higher risk of death in the finals periods for the North and Northeast. Cohort effects showed risk of death was higher for younger than older generations in Brazil and regions, mainly Northeast (RR Adjusted =3.12, 95% CI 1.29-1.41; RR Adjusted =0.28, 95% CI 0.26-0.30, respectively). The increase in prostate cancer mortality rates in Brazil and its regions was mainly due to population aging. The differences in mortality rates and APC effects between regions are related to demographic differences and access of health services across the country. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Periodic cometary showers: Real or imaginary?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grieve, R. A. F.; Sharpton, V. L.; Goodacre, A. K.; Garvin, J. B.

1985-01-01

Since the initial reports in 1980, a considerable body of chemical and physical evidence has been accumulated to indicate that a major impact event occurred on earth 65 million years ago. The effects of this event were global in extent and have been suggested as the cause of the sudden demise or mass extinction of a large percentage of life, including the dinosaurs, at the end of the geologic time period known as the Cretaceous. Recent statistical analyses of extinctions in the marine faunal record for the last 250 million years have suggested that mass extinctions may occur with a periodicity of every 26 to 30 million years. Following these results, other workers have attempted to demonstrate that these extinction events, like that at the end of the Cretaceous, are temporally correlated with large impact events. A recent scenario suggests that they are the result of periodic showers of comets produced by either the passage of the solar system through the galactic plane or by perturbations of the cometary cloud in the outer solar system by a, as yet unseen, solar companion. This hypothesized solar companion has been given the name Nemesis.

Forward Period Analysis Method of the Periodic Hamiltonian System.

PubMed

Wang, Pengfei

2016-01-01

Using the forward period analysis (FPA), we obtain the period of a Morse oscillator and mathematical pendulum system, with the accuracy of 100 significant digits. From these results, the long-term [0, 1060] (time unit) solutions, ranging from the Planck time to the age of the universe, are computed reliably and quickly with a parallel multiple-precision Taylor series (PMT) scheme. The application of FPA to periodic systems can greatly reduce the computation time of long-term reliable simulations. This scheme provides an efficient way to generate reference solutions, against which long-term simulations using other schemes can be tested.

Load Balancing Using Time Series Analysis for Soft Real Time Systems with Statistically Periodic Loads

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hailperin, M.

1993-01-01

This thesis provides design and analysis of techniques for global load balancing on ensemble architectures running soft-real-time object-oriented applications with statistically periodic loads. It focuses on estimating the instantaneous average load over all the processing elements. The major contribution is the use of explicit stochastic process models for both the loading and the averaging itself. These models are exploited via statistical time-series analysis and Bayesian inference to provide improved average load estimates, and thus to facilitate global load balancing. This thesis explains the distributed algorithms used and provides some optimality results. It also describes the algorithms' implementation and gives performance results from simulation. These results show that the authors' techniques allow more accurate estimation of the global system loading, resulting in fewer object migrations than local methods. The authors' method is shown to provide superior performance, relative not only to static load-balancing schemes but also to many adaptive load-balancing methods. Results from a preliminary analysis of another system and from simulation with a synthetic load provide some evidence of more general applicability.

A charged particle in a homogeneous magnetic field accelerated by a time-periodic Aharonov-Bohm flux

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kalvoda, T.; Stovicek, P., E-mail: stovicek@kmlinux.fjfi.cvut.cz

2011-10-15

We consider a nonrelativistic quantum charged particle moving on a plane under the influence of a uniform magnetic field and driven by a periodically time-dependent Aharonov-Bohm flux. We observe an acceleration effect in the case when the Aharonov-Bohm flux depends on time as a sinusoidal function whose frequency is in resonance with the cyclotron frequency. In particular, the energy of the particle increases linearly for large times. An explicit formula for the acceleration rate is derived with the aid of the quantum averaging method, and then it is checked against a numerical solution and a very good agreement is found.more » - Highlights: > A nonrelativistic quantum charged particle on a plane. > A homogeneous magnetic field and a periodically time-dependent Aharonov-Bohm flux. > The quantum averaging method applied to a time-dependent system. > A resonance of the AB flux with the cyclotron frequency. > An acceleration with linearly increasing energy; a formula for the acceleration rate.« less

Control Beliefs and Cognition Over a 10-year Period: Findings from the ACTIVE Trial

PubMed Central

Parisi, Jeanine M.; Gross, Alden L.; Marsiske, Michael; Willis, Sherry L.; Rebok, George W.

2017-01-01

We examined two facets of control beliefs and cognition over ten-years within the ACTIVE cognitive training program. Intellectual Self-efficacy decreased (β = −0.32 units/year; SE = 0.03) and Concern about Intellectual Aging increased (β = 0.26 units/year; SE = 0.02) over time, with older age being the only predictor of increases in Concern about Intellectual Aging. Although baseline cognitive performance was related to control beliefs over time, the reverse was not supported. Findings were not altered by participation in the ACTIVE training programs, suggesting the need for including intervention components that lead to long-term maintenance or improvements in such beliefs. PMID:28182498

Frequency of EBV associated classical Hodgkin lymphoma decreases over a 54-year period in a Brazilian population.

PubMed

Campos, Antonio Hugo Jose Froes Marques; Moreira, Adriana; Ribeiro, Karina Braga; Paes, Roberto Pinto; Zerbini, Maria Claudia; Aldred, Vera; de Souza, Carmino Antonio; Neto, Cristovam Scapulatempo; Soares, Fernando Augusto; Vassallo, Jose

2018-01-30

The epidemiology of classical Hodgkin lymphoma varies significantly in populations with different socioeconomic conditions. Among other changes, improvement in such conditions leads to a reduction in the association with EBV infection and predominance of the nodular sclerosis subtype. This study provides an overview of the epidemiology of 817 cases of classical Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosed in five reference hospitals of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, over 54 years (1954-2008). The cases were distributed in 3 periods (1954-1979; 1980-1999; and 2000-2008). EBV-positive cases decreased from 87% to 46%. In children and adolescents (<15 years) and in young adults (15-45 years), EBV-positive cases decreased respectively from 96% to 64%, and from 85% to 32%. The percentage of male patients declined from 80% to 58%. In older patients (>45 years), the decrease in EBV infection was not significant. Nodular Sclerosis was the most common subtype in all periods. These results support the hypothesis that, in the Brazilian State of Sao Paulo, classical Hodgkin lymphoma has changed and now shows characteristics consistent with Pattern III observed in populations that experienced a similar socioeconomic transition.

41 CFR 302-11.23 - When must I request to have my initial time period extended?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... have my initial time period extended? 302-11.23 Section 302-11.23 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES RESIDENCE TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 11-ALLOWANCES FOR EXPENSES INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH RESIDENCE TRANSACTIONS General Rules Time Limitations...

41 CFR 302-11.23 - When must I request to have my initial time period extended?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... have my initial time period extended? 302-11.23 Section 302-11.23 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES RESIDENCE TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 11-ALLOWANCES FOR EXPENSES INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH RESIDENCE TRANSACTIONS General Rules Time Limitations...

41 CFR 302-11.23 - When must I request to have my initial time period extended?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... have my initial time period extended? 302-11.23 Section 302-11.23 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES RESIDENCE TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 11-ALLOWANCES FOR EXPENSES INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH RESIDENCE TRANSACTIONS General Rules Time Limitations...

41 CFR 302-11.23 - When must I request to have my initial time period extended?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... have my initial time period extended? 302-11.23 Section 302-11.23 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES RESIDENCE TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 11-ALLOWANCES FOR EXPENSES INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH RESIDENCE TRANSACTIONS General Rules Time Limitations...

41 CFR 302-11.23 - When must I request to have my initial time period extended?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... have my initial time period extended? 302-11.23 Section 302-11.23 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal Travel Regulation System RELOCATION ALLOWANCES RESIDENCE TRANSACTION ALLOWANCES 11-ALLOWANCES FOR EXPENSES INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH RESIDENCE TRANSACTIONS General Rules Time Limitations...

Infrared Spectroscopy of Symbiotic Stars. II. Orbits for Five S-Type Systems with Two-Year Periods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fekel, Francis C.; Hinkle, Kenneth H.; Joyce, Richard R.; Skrutskie, Michael F.

2000-12-01

Infrared radial velocities have been used to determine orbital elements for the cool giants of five well-known symbiotic systems, Z And, AG Dra, V443 Her, AX Per, and FG Ser, all of which have orbital periods near the two-year mean period for S-type symbiotics. The new orbits are in general agreement with previous orbits derived from optical velocities. From the combined optical and infrared velocities, improved orbital elements for the five systems have been determined. Each of the orbital periods has been determined solely from the radial-velocity data. The orbits are circular and have quite small mass functions of 0.001-0.03 Msolar. The infrared velocities of AG Dra do not show the large orbital velocity residuals found for its optical radial velocities.

A dynamical systems analysis of the kinematics of time-periodic vortex shedding past a circular cylinder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ottino, Julio M.

1991-01-01

Computer flow simulation aided by dynamical systems analysis is used to investigate the kinematics of time-periodic vortex shedding past a two-dimensional circular cylinder in the context of the following general questions: (1) Is a dynamical systems viewpoint useful in the understanding of this and similar problems involving time-periodic shedding behind bluff bodies; and (2) Is it indeed possible, by adopting such a point of view, to complement previous analyses or to understand kinematical aspects of the vortex shedding process that somehow remained hidden in previous approaches. We argue that the answers to these questions are positive. Results are described.

The impact of child and family stressors on the self-rated health of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder: Associations with depressed mood over a 12-year period.

PubMed

Benson, Paul R

2018-05-01

Employing a cohort sequential design and multilevel modeling, the effects of child and family stressors and maternal depressed mood on the self-rated health of 110 mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder were assessed over a 12-year period when children in the study were 7-19 years old. Findings indicate a significant decline in self-rated health over time. In addition, child and family stressors, as well as maternal depressed mood, exerted significant between-persons effects on self-rated health such that mothers who reported more stressors and depressed mood across the study period were less likely to rate themselves in better health across that period. In addition, a significant within-person relationship between maternal depressed mood and self-rated health was found, indicating that at times when mothers reported higher levels of depressed mood than usual (their personal average across the study), they were significantly less likely to report better self-rated health. Finally, maternal depressed mood partially mediated the between-persons effects of child and family stressors on self-rated health such that increased stressors led to increased maternal depressed mood which, in turn, led to poorer maternal self-rated health. Findings suggest that chronic stressors erode maternal health over time and that depression may be an important mechanism linking stressors to decreased maternal health.

Is it time to bring the "Parent" into the prevention of parent to child transmission programs in India? A study of trends over a 10-year period in a prevention of parent to child transmission clinic in India.

PubMed

Shiradkar, Swati; Mande, Shubhangi; Bapat, Gauri; Setia, Maninder Singh

2016-01-01

The present study evaluated the changes in serology and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing behaviors over a 10-year period in a center in India. We used clinical data collected at the antenatal clinic from 2002 to 2011. The key outcomes were: (1) Proportion of women who opted for HIV test and those who tested positive; (2) proportion of male partners who came in for HIV test and those who tested positive; and (3) proportion of women who opted for continuation of pregnancy or for medical termination of pregnancy. We tested 11,452 women for HIV over the 10-year period from 2002 to 2011. The proportion of women who opted for HIV testing was 72.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 70.7-73.4%). The acceptance of test increased from 35.9% (95% CI: 31.7-40.4%) in 2002 to the peak of 82.6% (95% CI: 78.6-86.8%) in 2009 (P < 0.001). The overall HIV prevalence over the decade was 0.70% (95% CI: 0.55-0.87%). The prevalence high at 1.11% (95% CI: 0.23-3.24%) in 2002 and reduced to 0.37% (95% CI: 0.12-0.87%) in 2011 (P < 0.001). Only 0.57% of male partners tested for HIV over this time period. Strategies to improve acceptance of testing in pregnant women should be included in the Indian guidelines. The male partners do not get tested. Thus, this component needs to be strengthened - by targeted interventions for male spouses - to make the program more effective.

Rehabilitation outcomes in children with cerebral palsy during a 2 year period

PubMed Central

İçağasıoğlu, Afitap; Mesci, Erkan; Yumusakhuylu, Yasemin; Turgut, Selin Turan; Murat, Sadiye

2015-01-01

[Purpose] To observe motor and functional progress of children with cerebral palsy during 2 years. [Subjects and Methods] Pediatric cerebral palsy patients aged 3–15 years (n = 35/69) with 24-month follow-up at our outpatient cerebral palsy clinic were evaluated retrospectively. The distribution of cerebral palsy types was as follows: diplegia (n = 19), hemiplegia (n = 4), and quadriplegia (n = 12). Participants were divided into 3 groups according to their Gross Motor Functional Classification System scores (i.e., mild, moderate, and severe). All participants were evaluated initially and at the final assessment 2 years later. During this time, patients were treated 3 times/week. Changes in motor and functional abilities were assessed based on Gross Motor Function Measure-88 and Wee Functional Independence Measure. [Results] Significant improvements were observed in Gross Motor Function Measure-88 and Wee Functional Independence Measure results in all 35 patients at the end of 2 years. The Gross Motor Function Measure-88 scores correlated with Wee Functional Independence Measure Scores. Marked increases in motor and functional capabilities in mild and moderate cerebral palsy patients were observed in the subgroup assessments, but not in those with severe cerebral palsy. [Conclusion] Rehabilitation may greatly help mild and moderate cerebral palsy patients achieve their full potential. PMID:26644677

Processes of physical change to the seabed and bivalve recruitment over a 10-year period following experimental hydraulic clam dredging on Banquereau, Scotian Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilkinson, K.; King, E. L.; Li, M. Z.; Roddick, D.; Kenchington, E.; Han, G.

2015-01-01

A previous study on the effects of experimental hydraulic clam dredging on seabed habitat and commercial bivalve populations revealed a lack of recovery after a 3-year post-dredging period (1998-2001) on a deep (65-75 m) offshore sandy bank on the Scotian Shelf, Canada. Follow-up sidescan sonar surveys were carried out 5 and 10 years after dredging (2003, 2008) in order to identify long-term processes of seabed recovery. Grab sampling was carried out 10 years after dredging to identify post-dredging commercial bivalve recruitment. Changes in the seafloor, including dredge tracks, were documented with a series of 7 sidescan sonar surveys between 1998 and 2008. A sediment mobility model was constructed based on modeled tidal current and hindcast wave data over this time period to quantify natural seabed disturbance and interpret changes to the dredge tracks mapped by sidescan sonar surveys. The model indicated that tidal currents had minimal effect on sediment mobilization. The main driving force associated with re-working of surficial sediments as evidenced by deterioration of dredge tracks in sonograms was annual fall/winter storms. While the annual frequency of storms and associated wave heights was variable, the observations and sediment mobility calculations suggest that the most influential variable is the magnitude of individual large storms, specifically storms with a significant wave height of ∼11 m. These storms are capable of generating mobile sediment layers of 20-30 cm thickness, equivalent to the dredge blade cutting depth. It appears that, with minor exceptions, sediment properties have returned to pre-dredging conditions 10 years after dredging in this habitat. Based on known age-length relationships, the four commercial bivalve species showed very low recruitment at the experimental site over the 10-year post-dredging period. However, this is unlikely due to a dredging effect since a similar pattern was observed in non-dredged areas.